Zelensky says peace talks with Russia are difficult and conflicted

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier on Wednesday (23) in Ukraine (Tuesday night in Brazil) that peace talks with Russia to end the war are difficult and sometimes confrontational, but added that “step by step we are advancing”.

In a speech posted via a video early in the morning [horário local; início da noite no horário de Brasília]Zelensky also claimed that 100,000 people lived in the city of Mariupol in inhumane conditions, without food, water or medicine.

According to other statements by Ukraine’s president, Mariupol is being “burned to ashes” by Russian attacks, but added that the locality “will survive”.

The city, which before the war was home to around 450,000 people, has been under near constant attack by Russian forces since early March, with satellite imagery showing significant destruction in residential areas.

Zelensky said the Russian offensive on Mariupol is an “act of terror” that will be “remembered for centuries”. In a video message posted on Facebook, the Ukrainian leader said the port city will go down in history as an example of war crimes.

Food shortages in Ukraine

According to information from the relief agency Mercy Corps, some cities in Ukraine have no more than three or four days’ worth of food. The institution warns that the humanitarian system in the country “is totally broken”.

According to the institution’s representative, Steve Gordon, small Ukrainian civil society organizations help areas where humanitarian corridors have failed. At least 70% of the population of Kharkiv and Sumy is entirely dependent on aid, Gordon estimated.

“One of our biggest concerns right now is supply chain vulnerability. We know that most municipalities in areas where the most intense fighting has no more than three to four days’ worth of essential items such as food,” said the representative.