Ukraine Russian war

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells Russian journalists Ukraine is prepared to discuss adopting a neutral status as part of a peace deal with Russia but it ...

"I've talked to the defenders of Mariupol today. Their determination, heroism and firmness are astonishing," Mr Zelenskyy said in a video address, referring to the besieged southern city that has suffered some of the war's greatest horrors. It did not give a reason for its warning. This is the most important point," he said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denounced the remark, saying: "It's not up to the president of the US and not up to the Americans to decide who will remain in power in Russia." "Security guarantees and neutrality, non-nuclear status of our state. The head of Ukrainian military intelligence said on Sunday that he believed Russia was trying to split Ukraine in two to create a Moscow-controlled region after failing to take over the whole country. "Erdogan noted the importance of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, the implementation of peace and the improvement of humanitarian conditions in the region," his office said in a readout of the call. "I think that in the near future a referendum will be held on the territory of the republic," Mr Pasechnik said. "Roskomnadzor warns the Russian media about the necessity of refraining from publishing this interview," it said in a statement on social media and its website. Mr Zelenskyy later said in his nightly video address that he would insist on the "territorial integrity" of Ukraine in any talks. In other developments, a leader of one of the separatist regions in Ukraine's east said he was planning to hold an independence referendum, and Russia confirmed it had used cruise missiles to strike targets in Lviv.