Ukraine calls for direct talks between Putin, Zelenskyy

KYIV, Ukraine (AA) - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Monday that Ukraine wants direct talks between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin because Putin is the one who “makes the final decisions.”

“We have long wanted a direct conversation,” Dmytro Kuleba said in a television appearance.

Noting that Zelenskyy is "not afraid" of anything, including talking directly with Putin, he said: "If Putin is not afraid of anything, let him come, sit down and talk."

Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial sanctions on Moscow, and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia.

At least 406 civilians have been killed and 801 others injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, according to UN figures. But the international body has maintained that conditions on the ground have made it "difficult to verify" the true number of civilian casualties.

More than 1.7 million people have also fled to neighboring countries, the UN Refugee Agency said.

*Writing by Beyza Binnur Donmez