Zelenskyy: Failed talks with Putin would mean a third World War

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told CNN on Sunday that he's "ready for negotiations" with Russian President Vladimir Putin but warned that if they fail, "that would mean that this is a third World War."

"I'm ready for negotiations with him. I was ready for the last two years. And I think that without negotiations we cannot end this war," Zelenskyy told CNN's Fareed Zakaria.

"I think that we have to use any format, any chance in order to have a possibility of negotiating, possibility of talking to Putin. But if these attempts fail, that would mean that this is a third World War," he added.

Zelensky has urged more negotiations in recent days as Russia's invasion of Ukraine nears its fourth week. In a video message posted Saturday, he called for talks "without delay," warning that otherwise Russia's losses would be "huge."

"We have always insisted on negotiations. We have always offered dialogue, offered solutions for peace," he said. "And I want everyone to hear me now, especially in Moscow. It's time to meet. Time to talk. It is time to restore territorial integrity and justice for Ukraine."

The Ukrainian President also told Zakaria on Sunday that if Ukraine "were a NATO member, a war wouldn't have started."

"I'd like to receive security guarantees for my country, for my people. If NATO members are ready to see us in the alliance, then do it immediately. Because people are dying on a daily basis," he said, while also adding that he was grateful for the aid NATO has provided since the invasion began.

Asked how he is holding up amid the war, Zelenskyy told CNN that he was "doing just everything that everyone else in Ukraine is doing."

"We have made up our team to defend our country, so it seems to me that the person does not need to turn into anyone else. That is important when you can be just yourself," he said. "So I am holding up quite well."

Asked about Putin's claims that the Ukrainian government is full of neo-Nazis, Zelenskyy told Zakaria that it shows that the Russian President "might be capable of very horrendous steps."

"I'm not afraid of anything except for people, but the fact -- the fact is that if he is serious about this statement, he might be capable of very horrendous steps because that would mean that this is not a game for him," Zelensky warned.