Ukrainian President Zelensky calls a meeting again to end the war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has yet again called a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war. He told at a press conference near Kyiv that whoever started this war will be able to end it.

Zelenski said he has insisted on talks with the Russian president from the beginning. He added that he was not afraid to meet Putin if it would lead to a peace deal, reported AFP.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is entering its third month.

The Ukrainian leader who has become an icon across the world for his response to the Russian invasion said it's not that he wants to meet Putin but has to meet him to settle the ongoing conflict by diplomatic means. "We have confidence in our partners, but we have no confidence in Russia."

When asked about UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's plan to visit Moscow on Tuesday, Zelensky said that it is simply wrong to go first to Russia. "There is no justice and no logic in this order." Zelensky said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are set to visit Kyiv on Sunday. The US State Department has not confirmed the visit, said the AFP report.

The Ukrainian leader warned that if Russia killed the remaining Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol, he would break off talks with Putin. The port city is of great strategic importance to Ukraine and has been besieged by Russia. Officials have accused Russia of not allowing the evacuation of civilians.

He added that Ukraine is ready to exchange Ukraine's soldiers defending the city "in whatever format" to save "these people who find themselves in a horrible situation, surrounded".