Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova said on Sunday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will “definitely not” be part of the peace talks delegation that’s scheduled to meet with Russia tomorrow, Monday, stating that the president is staying in his country to fight. Zelensky’s office on Sunday announced that the two sides would engage in peace talks somewhere along the Belarusian border. News of the potential negotiations came as Russian President Vladimir Putin placed his nuclear deterrent forces on high alert, all while placing blame on NATO’s “aggressive statements” following his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
“President Zelensky made a decision to defend the country,” Markarova said on CNN’s State of the Union. “So he’s in Kyiv with the armed forces, with the people of Ukraine, defending the country.” The ambassador also said it was “very difficult” to say whether this was just a ploy by Russia, noting it is a “full-fledged war with war crimes conducted by Russians” on a daily basis. Asked how far Ukraine was willing to go to stop the war, Markarova turned the question around to Russia’s actions. “Well, I don’t think anyone should even ask Ukraine how far we are ready to go,” she declared. “I think the question should be how fast the Russian Federation is willing to stop the war, remove their troops from us, and be accountable and responsible for all the devastating damage they have inflicted on us in the last four days.”
