Ukraine’s Zelenskyy calls on Russia's Putin to meet and seek resolution to avert war

Amid mounting pressure of war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to meet him and seek a resolution to avert the crisis. The statement from Zelenskyy came during the Munich Security Conference that was also attended by several western leaders including US Vice President Kamala Harris. “I don’t know what the president of the Russian Federation wants, so I am proposing a meeting. Russia can pick the location for the talks," said Zelenskyy. "Ukraine will continue to follow only the diplomatic path for the sake of a peaceful settlement," added the Ukrainian President.

Have a look at Zelenskyy statement:

Notably, on Saturday, separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine ordered a full military mobilization despite a frequent warning from the Western leaders of invoking stringent sanctions-- both politically and economically. As of writing this article, there was no immediate response from the Kremlin over the Ukrainian President proposal. Amid fear of invasion, Germany and Austria told their citizens to leave Ukraine while German air carrier Lufthansa cancelled flights to the capital, Kyiv. Besides, NATO’s liaison office in Kyiv directed its employees to move to Brussels. According to a report by the news agency, The Associated Press, on Saturday, some top Ukrainian military officials who were on a tour to the border areas came under a shelling attack. Luckily, all the officials were able to flee to a bomb shelter before hustling from the area. 

OSCE reports over 1,500 ceasefire violations

On Saturday, European observers reported over 1,500 ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, reported Times Of Israel. According to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations said that eastern Ukraine had seen the most ceasefire violations so far in a single day during the current crisis. It said the Russian military has been using artillery and mortar fire to attack the eastern Ukraine region.

It is pertinent to mention here that the battle between Ukraine's government and the breakaway Donetsk and, Lugansk Republics is not new. It has been going on since 2014. In a bid to control the violence in the Donbas region, an accord called the Minsk agreement was signed in February 2015. The deal came after tough negotiations among leaders of France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine — the Normandy group. However, the agreement did not exhibit the desired result, and, it is visible only in the papers, resulting in frequent sporadic clashes.

With inputs from AP

Image: AP