Ukraine's Zelenskyy is willing to meet President Putin to discuss ending the war

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that he would only talk to Vladimir Putin personally rather than through intermediaries. He went on to say that if Russian President Vladimir Putin "understands reality," a diplomatic solution to the crisis would be possible.

In a speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Zelenskyy further stated that Ukraine will fight until all of its territory were reclaimed. The Ukrainian President has stated that Russia should withdraw its forces to the lines that were in place before the invasion began on February 24.

"That may be the first step toward dialogue," he added, adding that Russia has been stalling talks with Ukraine.

Prior to this, Zelenskyy had stated that establishing any negotiations with Russia was becoming increasingly impossible due to proof of Russian acts against occupied population. Russia disputes that civilians were targeted as part of a "special operation" to weaken Ukraine's military.

In his speech to the Davos audience, Zelenskiy also stated that the war cost Ukrainians a great deal of human life. He said that the country's military were making progress, particularly near Kharkiv's second city, but that "the bloodiest scenario remains in Donbas, where we are losing too many people."

He went on to say that any attempt to reclaim the Crimean peninsula by force, which Russia captured and annexed in 2014, will result in hundreds of thousands of deaths.