Russia-Ukraine War: Zelenskyy Responds To Russia's Peace Talks Offer, Issues Open Challenge To Putin

New Delhi: The war between Russia and Ukraine has been going on for almost four years. Despite US President Donald Trump's lengthy pronouncements, he has so not been able to end the Russia-Ukraine war. However, Trump claims that he has secured a ceasefire for a few days after speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Following Trump's statement, Russia came up with a masterstroke by inviting Zelenskyy to Moscow for talks. Responding to this, Zelenskyy challenged Putin, saying that if he has the courage, he should come to Kyiv.

What did Zelenskyy say?

Speaking to the media in the capital Kyiv, Zelenskyy said that if Russia does not attack the energy and power centers of Ukraine, the Ukrainian forces will not retaliate. He said, "We want to end the war and are trying to de-escalate the situation. If Russia does not attack our energy infrastructure, we will not attack their energy infrastructure either."

Regarding Russia's invitation for talks in Moscow, Zelenskyy said that it is impossible for him to go to Moscow to talk to Putin. However, he also clarified that he is ready to meet both Putin and Trump for peace talks and is willing to go to any country other than Russia for this purpose. He said, “I am inviting him (Putin) to come to Kyiv, if he can. I am saying this publicly... if he has the courage, he should come.”

Did Donald Trump manage to bring peace between Russia and Ukraine?

It is worth noting that this exchange of statements between the two countries, which have been embroiled in war for almost four years, comes at a time when Trump had announced a week-long ceasefire due to the severe cold. During a meeting at the White House, Trump said that Putin had also agreed to a week-long ceasefire due to the cold weather. However, Ukraine stated that it had not yet received any official notification of a ceasefire. Zelenskyy said he was relying on the United States to help secure this week-long halt to hostilities.

Ukraine is currently bracing for a severe cold snap, with temperatures expected to drop to as low as -20 degrees Celsius. Due to the war, many cities, including Kyiv, are already experiencing power outages, forcing people to live in cold and darkness. Despite Trump's announcement, Russia continued its attacks on Kyiv on Thursday night, launching a ballistic missile and 111 drones.