Ukrainian Zelensky invites Russian Vladimir Putin to meet

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Zelensky extended the invitation on Tuesday night during a public speech, urging Putin to restore a ceasefire in the region where he said “millions of lives” are at stake.

“A proposal was made at the contact line to see and understand the situation as accurately as possible. What should I understand? I go there every month. Mr. Putin!” Zelensky said.

“I am ready to go further and invite you to meet anywhere in the Ukrainian Donbass, where there is a war,” he said.

An accumulation of Russian troops along the border rekindled tensions in eastern Ukraine, where government forces were blocked in a tense confrontation with Russian-backed separatists demanding independence from Kiev in 2014.

The US has estimated that the Russian military has moved more than 40 battalion tactical groups to the Russia-Ukraine border, which could number 40,000 troops. It would be the largest accumulation of Russian troops near Ukraine since 2014, when Russian forces invaded the country and occupied the Crimean Peninsula.

Earlier on Tuesday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said more than 20 ships had also participated in exercises in the Black Sea, which borders both countries. “A unit of frigates ‘Admiral Makarov’ and ‘Admiral Essen’, small missiles ‘Grayvoron’ and ‘Vyshny Volochek’, as well as missile boats, small anti-submarine ships and large amphibious vessels means of air attack of a simulated enemy using active electronic blockades and the conditional use of air defenses, “reads a statement from the ministry.

In his speech, Zelensky called on Ukrainian citizens to unite in the face of the Russian military threat. “Ukraine and Russia, despite their common past, look to the future differently. It’s us. You are you. But this is not necessarily a problem, it is an opportunity. At least – an opportunity, before it is too late, to stop the deadly math of future military losses. ”

He accused Russia of refusing to make a “general statement” to restore a full ceasefire in the area, despite “the support of all parties.”

The United States and other NATO members pledge support to Ukraine as it moves along the line with Russia

Last week, the Ukrainian president met in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel – who joined via a video link – to discuss the deteriorating security situation in eastern Ukraine and the occupation of Ukrainian territories. The three leaders ended their meeting by calling on Russia to withdraw additional troops gathered on the Ukrainian border.

The NATO alliance also expressed deep concern over the Russian military buildup near Ukraine, described by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg last week as “part of a broader model of aggressive Russian action.” The Allies fully support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and we call for Russia to step down immediately, stop its aggressive provocations and honor its international commitments, “he said at the time.

Reporting by Anna Chernova and Zahra Ullah from CNN to Moscow.

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