Ukraine's president speaks from inside the bunker about talks with Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that "as long as Moscow's attacks on Ukrainian cities continue, there will be little progress in talks between the two countries."

In a rare exclusive interview with Reuters and CNN from a cellar inside a heavily guarded government compound in the capital, Kyiv, and leading his army from it, Zelensky said, "Everyone should stop fighting and Russia should return to that point from which it started." Five or six days ago.

And on Monday, talks, the first of their kind since the start of the Russian invasion, were held between two delegations from the two countries in a border area with Belarus, which did not yield tangible results, while the Russian side said that another round of talks would be held tomorrow, Wednesday, while the Ukrainian side did not confirm this. after.

"I think there are basic things you can do, if you do this, and this side does that, that means they are ready for peace. If they are (not ready), then you are just wasting time," Zelensky said.

Asked if he felt Ukraine was wasting its time talking to Russia, he said: "We'll see."

Zelensky urged his US counterpart, Joe Biden, to deliver a strong and "helpful" message about the Russian invasion in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night.

Zelensky won universal acclaim for standing up to the Russian invasion, after rejecting offers of surrender, and instead sent frequent, courageous messages to his people urging them to stand firm.

Earlier on Tuesday, Zelensky was given a standing ovation after an impressive video-conference with the European Parliament, telling delegates: "We are fighting for our lives."

Asked by CNN about his transformation from comedian to wartime leader, Zelensky replied: "It's very dangerous, this is not a movie I created, I think Ukraine is the creator."

"Ukraine is the heart of Europe, and now I think that Europe sees Ukraine as something special for this world, that's why the world cannot lose this special thing," he added.

New strikes rocked Kyiv on Tuesday, as Russia ramped up its assault on the capital and other key sites.

The Ukrainian leader appeared tired and stressed, but was friendly with the crews of "CNN" and Reuters, and revealed that he had not seen his family for three days.

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