In an interview with CNN on Friday, President Zelensky said he would not hand over the Russian-held Donbas area to Moscow, as Vladimir Putin could use the ground to launch another offensive. in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. “[W]”I understand that the fact that we fought them and they left, and they ran from Kyiv … from the north, from Chernihiv and from that direction … does not mean that they can occupy Donbass, they will not go further to Kyiv.” , he told CNN’s Jake Tapper during an interview at the presidential palace. Russia annexed Crimea, a region in southern Ukraine, in 2014, and recognizes a pro-Moscow separatist government in southeastern Donbass. The area has been used as a base by Russia for the invasion. The Ukrainian leader also spoke to CNN about his ongoing collaboration with President Joe Biden. The White House has confirmed that there are no plans for Biden to travel to Ukraine, unlike the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson. “Do you want President Biden to come here?” asked Mr. Tapper. Mr Zelensky confirmed that he had done so. “I think he will do it. “It’s his decision, of course, on the security situation, but I think he’s the leader of the United States and that’s why he has to come.” Russian and Ukrainian government officials have met to discuss a peace deal, but no agreement has been reached. The two sides continue to fight for territory in eastern Ukraine, even as Russian forces withdraw from areas near Kyiv after heavy resistance. Fighting continues in the besieged port city of Mariupol, where Russian forces try to crush inhumane Ukrainian troops in street-to-street battles. The city has seen some of the worst fighting, and Ukrainian officials say there has been deliberate targeting of civilians by Russian forces. Russian defense officials have vowed to “destroy” Ukrainian forces in Mariupol, but the Kremlin’s ability to seize the city remains in question after its failure to occupy Kyiv. The exact number of victims is difficult to estimate, but Mr Zelensky’s government says Russia has lost up to 20,000 so far in its efforts to take over many of Ukraine’s major political efforts. “As for our army, from the numbers we have, we believe we lost 2,500 to 3,000, compared to the Russian army, which lost about 19,000 to 20,000,” he told CNN. “It simply came to our notice then. “But we have about 10,000 injured and it is difficult to say how many will survive.” Last week, Ukrainian troops claimed responsibility for a strike on a Russian destroyer, the Moskva, off Mariupol. The ship later sank as it was being towed to Russian territory. Moscow has claimed that the destruction of Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, was the result of a fire in its ammunition depot. The Kremlin also faces charges of war crimes as reports of targeted killings, kidnappings and rapes in Ukraine. The Ukrainian government has described the atrocities as genocide, a claim made by Mr Biden. The bodies of hundreds of civilians were found by Ukrainian troops in Bhutan as they recaptured areas previously under Russian control. Some of the victims appeared to have been executed by Russian forces after being found shot with their hands tied.
