Today, Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that nearly 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers were killed by Russian forces in what he described as a “war of annihilation.”According to the New York Times.
News leadership: Russian forces intensify aggression campaign Against Ukraine, including in Kyiv, where the troops moved within 25 kilometers from the city center.
- Zelensky also said that Russian forces would have to destroy Kyiv to gain control of the capital.
- “If there were hundreds of thousands of people, who are now being mobilized by Russia, and they came with hundreds or thousands of tanks, they would take Kyiv. We understand that,” he said.
- “History has already recorded how the Ukrainian people resisted these invaders,” Zelensky said in a recent speech. “But we have no right to reduce the intensity of the defense, no matter how difficult it is for us.”
- Zelensky also suggested meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Israel, adding that Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett could act as a mediator.
playing condition: German Chancellor Olaf Schulz and French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday urged Putin to call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine during a 75-minute call with the Russian leader. CNN reports.
- The leaders also urged Putin to “move toward a diplomatic solution to the conflict,” according to German government spokesman Stephen Hebestreet.
- Schulz and Macron’s call with Putin was part of the ongoing international effort to end the war in Ukraine, according to CNN.
The Big Picture: Hundreds of protesters in Melitopol, southern Ukraine, took to the streets on Saturday to protest the detention of the city’s mayor by Russian forces on Friday. CNN reports.
- Zelensky warned of “A new stage of horror” On Friday, referring to the kidnapping of the mayor of Melitopol by Russian forces.
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Editor’s note: This is an evolving story. . Please check back for updates