Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky invited Russian leader Vladimir Putin for a meeting in his country's war-torn eastern Donbass region to discuss peace in the face of growing international concern over Russia's massive military buildup at the border, Inquirer.net reported, citing Agence France-Presse Wednesday.
Zelensky extended the invitation Tuesday night in a public address, urging his Russian counterpart to restore a ceasefire in the region where he said "millions of lives" are at stake.
The Ukrainian leader's offer for talks came following an escalation in clashes between his army and pro-Russian separatists controlling two regions in Ukraine's east, raising tensions of a major flare-up in the brewing military showdown.
In a speech late Tuesday, Zelenskiy reassured his people that while an escalation was not inevitable and Kyiv would not initiate the first strike, they should not cower in fear because the Ukraine of 2021 was prepared for war.
In that speech, Zelenskiy proposed to the Russian leader: "Mr. Putin, I propose we meet anywhere in the Ukrainian Donbass, where there is a war," according to the Politico.
United States President Joe Biden spoke with Putin last week, warning him against aggressive moves toward Ukraine but also inviting him to a summit meeting in the coming months.
Biden suggested that he and Putin meet in a third country to iron out their differences, the White House said in a statement.
The U.S. has assessed Russia has deployed more than 40 battalions of tactical forces toward the Russia-Ukraine border, which could total up to 40,000 troops.
"A considerable number of Russian troops are concentrated near our border," AFP quoted Zelenskiy as saying. "Officially, Russia calls this military exercises. Unofficially, the whole world calls this blackmail," the Ukrainian leader said.
