Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday's negotiations with Russia offered positive signals but did not stop the explosion of Russian shells.
Zelenskyy made the comments in a speech posted to his website and social media accounts. The Ukrainian president characterized his country's defense as "succesfull" as the 34th day of Russia's invasion came to a close.
Zelenskyy said it was Ukrainian defense forces that forced Russian troops to retreat, not if the Russian aviation simply decided to fly less.
Zelenskyy said that Ukrainians should not lose vigilance or reduce defense efforts, even though Russia has a lot of military equipment. Zelenskyy said that the Russian shelling of Ukrainian cities continues.
The city of Mariupol has been blockaded from food, water, and gas for weeks.
Zelenskyy said that the situation had not become easier.
The peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian representatives in Istanbul, Turkey, offered a semblance of hope after weeks of little progress. Russia said it would scale back assaults in the area while Ukraine said it would never join NATO.
Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian survival can't rely on Russian promises alone.
He said that they see all the risks and that there was no reason to trust the words of certain state representatives.
Zelenskyy said that Ukrainians are not naive people and that they have already learned how to trust a concrete result.
The president said that Ukraine is willing to continue negotiations, but wants to be assured of real security for the Ukrainian people.
He said there can be no compromise on sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Zelenskyy promised that the decisions would be made by the people of Ukraine. He previously said that the questions would be put to the voters.
Zelenskyy said the question of lifting international sanctions against Russia should not be considered until the war is over.
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