Vladimir Green discusses a possible ceasefire with the Kremlin, despite warnings that Russian troops will try to take Kiev by the end of the night.
The Ukrainian president is talking to the Russian government at the first signs of potential talks between the warring parties, his spokesman Sergei Nikiforov said on social media.
Governments are discussing the timing and venue of the talks.
Vladimir Zelensky discusses a possible ceasefire with the Kremlin, despite warnings that Russian troops will try to take Kiev by the end of the night
The Kremlin said earlier Friday that it had offered to meet with Ukrainian officials in the Belarusian capital, Minsk.
The Kremlin said earlier Friday that it had offered a meeting with Ukrainian officials in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, but instead Ukraine had offered Warsaw a place that had led to a “pause” in contacts.
Nikiforov said: “I must refute the allegations that we refused to negotiate. Ukraine was and remains ready to talk about a ceasefire and peace. This is our constant position.
“We agreed with the proposal of the President of the Russian Federation. During these hours, consultations are held between the parties on the place and time of the negotiation process.
“The earlier the negotiations start, the better the chances of us returning to normal life.”
But US State Department spokesman Ned Price said Russia’s offer to negotiate was an attempt at diplomacy “at gunpoint” and that President Vladimir Putin’s military should stop bombing Ukraine if it is serious about negotiations.
The overtures contrasted sharply with the events unfolding on the ground and Putin’s harsh rhetoric against Ukrainian leaders, including a call for a coup by the country’s military.
Zelensky said on Saturday before dawn that Russian troops would try to capture the capital Kiev at night.
Zelensky said on Saturday before dawn that Russian troops would try to capture the capital Kiev at night
People examine the exterior of a damaged apartment building hit by a missile strike early in the morning in the capital
Ukrainian military vehicles pass by Independence Square in the center of Kiev
“Special attention to Kiev – we can not lose the capital,” Zelensky said in a video message released by the presidency.
“Tonight they will try a storm” in the capital, he added, apparently referring to Kiev.
The defense ministry told residents to make gasoline bombs to repel the invaders, and on Friday night witnesses said they heard artillery shelling and intense gunfire from the western part of the city.
Zelensky posed with aides on the streets of the capital, vowing to defend Ukraine’s independence.
While Russian special forces have reached the suburbs of Kiev, it is believed that most of Russia’s heavy armor is still more than 50 kilometers from the capital.
Western officials have suggested that Russia will assassinate Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and his ministers if they take over Kiev.
Soldiers tasked with defending Kiev from Russian troops take up positions under the city’s highway
Ukrainian soldiers are depicted building across a highway in Kiev as they prepare to defend the city from Russian invaders, with gunfire and explosions heard in the center of the capital.
Some families have taken refuge in Kiev after being hit by Russian missiles on Thursday night.
Others were desperately trying to board full trains heading west, some of the hundreds of thousands who had fled their homes to find safety, according to the head of the UN Relief and Works Agency.
After weeks of warnings from Western leaders, Putin launched a tripartite invasion of Ukraine from the north, east and south on Thursday, in an attack that threatened to disrupt European order after the Cold War.
“Again, I call on the servicemen of the Ukrainian armed forces: do not allow neo-Nazis and (Ukrainian radical nationalists) to use your children, wives and elders as human shields,” Putin told a televised meeting with Russian security. Council on Friday. “Take power into your own hands, it will be easier for us to reach an agreement.”
Putin cited the need to “denationalize” Ukraine’s leadership as one of the main reasons for the invasion, accusing it of genocide against Russian-speakers in eastern Ukraine. Kiev and its Western allies have dismissed the allegations as baseless propaganda.
The White House said the United States would impose sanctions on both Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov – actions coordinated with the European Union and Britain. However, the constant tightening of restrictions does not deter Russia.