“We are really looking for peace,” he said. “There is an opportunity and a need for a face-to-face meeting in Turkey. This is not bad. “Let’s see the result.” This week, he said, “I will continue to address the parliaments of other countries” to remind them of the dire situation in besieged cities such as Mariupol. He thanked the Ukrainian armed forces, which said they were “holding back the occupiers and in some areas even taking steps forward.” Well done.” Zelensky also told independent Russian journalists on Sunday that his government would consider declaring neutrality and offering security guarantees to Russia, echoing previous statements. That would include keeping Ukraine nuclear-free, he said. He told reporters that the issue of neutrality – and the agreement to stay out of NATO – should be put to Ukrainian voters in a referendum after the withdrawal of Russian troops. He said the vote could take place within a few months of the withdrawal of Russian troops. Russia quickly banned the publication of Zelensky’s interview. Roskomnadzor, which regulates communications for Moscow, issued the ban on Sunday, saying that measures could be taken against the Russian media outlets involved, including “those foreign media outlets acting as foreign agents.” Zelensky responded by saying that Moscow was afraid of a relatively short conversation with journalists. “It would be funny if it were not so tragic,” he was quoted as saying by the Ukrainian news agency RBK Ukraina.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR: – Zelenskyy: The West needs more courage to help Ukraine counterattack – “My personal tragedy”: Ukrainians prepare for attack on the jewel of the Black Sea of ​​Odessa – War shakes Europe’s path to energy independence, climate targets – Global science is disconnected by Russian experts, creating challenges in space exploration, in the fight against climate change – US-funded humanitarian organization delivers medicines that save thousands of lives in Ukraine Go to for more coverage

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS: BERLIN – German Chancellor Olaf Soltz says neither NATO nor US President Joe Biden aim to bring about regime change in Russia. Biden said of Russian President Vladimir Putin during a speech on Saturday that “this man can not stay in power.” The White House and other US officials were quick to point out that Biden was not in fact seeking Putin’s overthrow. Asked during a speech on ARD on Sunday whether Putin’s ouster was the real goal, Scholz said: “This is not the goal of NATO, nor is it the goal of the American president.” Scholz added: “We both fully agree that regime change is not the object and policy goal we pursue together.” Asked if Biden had made a dangerous mistake with his comment, Solz replied: “No.” He said he “said what he said” and Secretary of State Antony Blinken had also made it clear that he was not talking about regime change. Scholz last month announced a large increase in German defense spending. On Sunday, a report in the Bild am Sonntag newspaper confirmed that the government was considering acquiring a missile shield according to Israel’s “Iron Dome”.

LVIV, Ukraine – A rocket attack hit an oil base in northwestern Volyn on Sunday night, Regional Governor Yuriy Pohulyaiko said. He did not provide details about the victims or the specific location. The capital of Volyn is Lutsk, about 120 km (75 miles) north of Lviv.

ISTANBUL – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed the need for a ceasefire in Ukraine in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, Erdogan’s office said. Erdogan also called for an improvement in the humanitarian situation in the region, according to the statement. The two leaders agreed that the next meeting between Russian and Ukrainian officials should take place in Istanbul, the statement added, without giving a timetable.

LVIV, Ukraine – A member of the Ukrainian delegation in talks with Russia on ending a month-long war says the two sides have decided to meet in person in Turkey on Monday. David Arahamia, leader of the parliament of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s faction of the Servant of the People party, said on Facebook that the private conversations had been agreed in a videotaped consultation. He did not give further details. However, the chief Russian negotiator said that the private talks would start on Tuesday and not on Monday. The two sides have met in the past without reaching an agreement.

WARSAW, Poland – The 16th edition of a popular half marathon in Warsaw, Poland, on Sunday was dedicated to supporting Ukraine. The annual event was named “Warsaw Peace Half Marathon” this year. The organizers donate part of the proceeds and funds raised to a Polish charity and three hospitals in Ukraine. Some of the 7,000 participants also ran to raise funds for the children of Ukrainian refugees. More than 2.2 million people have fled to Poland since February 24, when Russia began its invasion of Poland’s neighbor, Ukraine. Ukrainian refugees were among the women runners on Sunday. Valentina Dushko, who belongs to one of the oldest running clubs in Ukraine, said that she and her companions were grateful to the organizers for the opportunity to participate in the event. “We thank all the Poles who helped us get through this difficult period of life. “Thanks to the Poles, we feel at home as much as possible,” Dushko told the Associated Press.

LVIV, Ukraine – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a law restricting reporting on the movement of troops and military equipment, unless such information has been announced or approved by the Army General Staff. The state news agency Ukrinform reported Sunday that the law requires possible prison sentences of three to eight years for violations. The law prohibits the “unauthorized dissemination of information on the direction, movement of international military assistance to Ukraine, the movement, movement or deployment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine or other military formations of Ukraine, committed in a state of martial law. or in a state of emergency, “said Ukrinform.

ROME – Ukraine’s energy minister says no leaks of radioactive material have been detected since Russian tanks launched nuclear power plants at Chernobyl and Zaporizhia, but that nightmares of a nuclear disaster keep him awake at night. In an interview with one of Corriere della Sera’s correspondents in Kyiv, German Galustchenko was quoted as saying that his country’s nuclear power plants were “a constant concern”. “I have not slept a single night with the nightmare of the nuclear disaster,” said Galushchenko, who is also an executive at the state-owned company that manages the country’s four nuclear power plants. Referring to the Chernobyl and Zaporizhia facilities, Galustchenko said: “Fortunately, both facilities are still in the hands of our technicians, but Russian armor fired at the facility.” In an interview published on Sunday, he described these actions as “criminal” and “completely irresponsible”. Without giving a location, Galushchenko said “another gas pipeline has just been hit” and “entire areas have been left in the dark and cold, especially in the Mariupol area.” He said the Russian bombs had left 800,000 homes without electricity and 250,000 without gas.

HELSINKI – One of the last remaining passenger train connections from Russia to the European Union has been suspended following the departure of the last two Allegro high-speed trains from St. Petersburg to Helsinki. Finland’s state-owned railway company VR announced on Friday that it would suspend services between the Finnish capital and Russia’s second largest city on Sunday, closing one of the last public transport routes for Russians seeking to reach the EU. Citing sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, the Finnish railway company said it was no longer appropriate to take advantage of the route. He added that Finnish citizens and “people who wanted to leave Russia had enough time to leave”. Only one morning departure from Helsinki to St. Petersburg took place on Sunday, while the afternoon train was canceled. Two departures from St. Petersburg left as planned. Russians wishing to travel to Finland can do so through checkpoints at the 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) land border with Russia that remain open to private cars. Buses to Finland continue to run from both St. Petersburg and Moscow.

DOHA, Qatar – A top French diplomat warns that the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol is turning into a “second Aleppo”, the commercial capital of Syria that in 2016 experienced widespread destruction with the support of Russia. Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Sunday at the Doha Forum, a policy conference in Qatar, that Russia’s “siege war” against Ukrainian cities should provoke “collective guilt”. “Civilian populations are being slaughtered, annihilated, suffering is horrific,” said one apparently angry Le Drian. Asked if he agreed with President Joe Biden’s observation in Warsaw that Russian President Vladimir Putin could not stay in power, he said only that diplomacy on both sides remained a French priority. Le Drian said that French President Emanuel Macron is trying to prevent the worst in Ukraine through talks with both the Ukrainian and Russian presidents. A ceasefire remains the most pressing task, he added, so that the parties can move on to more extreme issues such as Ukraine’s security guarantees and a possible neutral military regime. Le Drian said that the world is “at a turning point” as the war continues …