Ukraine is willing to become neutral and compromise over the status of the eastern Donbass region as part of a peace deal with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday, according to Reuters.
Zelenskyy took his message directly to Russian journalists in a video call that the Kremlin pre-emptively warned Russian media not to report, saying any agreement must be guaranteed by third parties and put to a referendum.
"Security guarantees and neutrality, non-nuclear status of our state. We are ready to go for it," he said, speaking in Russian.
Zelenskyy later said in his nightly video address that he would insist on the "territorial integrity" of Ukraine in any talks.
His comments come ahead of talks with Russia that will be hosted by Turkey this week.
In a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to hold talks this week in Istanbul and called for a ceasefire and better humanitarian conditions. Ukrainian and Russian negotiators confirmed that in-person talks would take place, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile on Sunday, the United Nations said that a total of 1,119 Ukrainian civilians have been reported killed and 1,790 were wounded since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
According to data collected by the United Nations Human Rights Office, of the 1,119 civilians killed, 99 were children.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Sunday 1,100 people were evacuated from frontline areas, including the southern city of Mariupol, after Ukraine and Russia agreed to set up two "humanitarian corridors."
On Saturday, Ukrainian troops claimed that Russian forces are deploying white phosphorus against them near the eastern city of Avdiivka, The Guardian reported.
While these reports cannot be confirmed, Zelenskyy told NATO leaders earlier this week that Russia had used phosphorus bombs that had killed adults and children.
US President Joe Biden recently said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is considering using biological and chemical weapons against Ukraine.
Biden’s comments came after Russia claimed that Ukraine is running chemical and biological labs with US support.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki later rejected the claims from Russia as "false" and "preposterous," and warned they could serve as a pretext for the Russians to deploy chemical weapons in their assault on Ukraine.