Speaking to independent Russian journalists on Sunday, he said 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 added that a vote could take place in the months following the withdrawal of Russian troops from the country – prompting the Kremlin to quickly ban the interview. ‘Irresponsible’ Russian actions at Chernobyl ‘endanger hundreds of millions’ – Live updates on Ukraine war Image: Volunteers protect monuments in Kyiv by surrounding them with sandbags. Photo: Chris Cunningham Roskomnadzor, which regulates communications for Moscow, said it had issued the ban because it could crack down on Russian-based media outlets, including “foreign media outlets acting as foreign agents”. “. In response, Mr Zelenskyy said Moscow feared a relatively brief conversation with reporters. “It would be funny if it were not so tragic,” he was quoted as saying by the Ukrainian news agency RBK Ukraina. On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said a meeting between Zelensky and Vladimir Putin for an exchange of views would now be “counterproductive” and should take place when the two countries are “close to agreeing on key issues.” “Sovereignty and territorial integrity” In his overnight speech Sunday, Zelensky told his nation that Ukraine’s priorities in talks with Russia in Turkey this week would be “sovereignty and territorial integrity.” “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 a bad thing. Let’s see the result.” This week, he said he would “continue to appeal to the parliaments of other countries” to remind them of the dire situation in besieged cities such as Mariupol. Image: Russian advance in 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 accused the West of cowardice on Sunday and made an outrageous call for fighter jets and tanks to help defend his country from Vladimir Putin’s forces. Meanwhile, another senior official said Russia was trying to divide the nation into two, such as North and South Korea. Russia has claimed that its main focus has shifted to control of the eastern Donbass region, a seeming setback to its more ambitious initial goals, but that it raises fears of a divided Ukraine. Biden denies call for change of Russian regime It comes as US President Joe Biden denied that he was calling for regime change when he said Putin “could not stay in power”. In a charged speech in Poland on Saturday, Biden relied on previous statements calling Putin a “butcher”, describing him as a “dictator” and saying that ending the war in Ukraine was “the task of our time”. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 3:14 “Putin can not stay in power” German Chancellor Olaf Solz also reiterated that neither NATO nor Biden aim to bring about regime change in Russia. Asked whether Putin’s ousting was the real goal, Mr Soltz said on Sunday: “This is not the goal of NATO, nor of the US president.” He added: “We both fully agree that regime change is not the object and goal of a policy we pursue together.”
