Zelenskyy proposes meeting with Putin in Jerusalem: Report

Kyiv, Mar 12: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Jerusalem, The Kyiv Independent reported on Saturday.

The report adds that Zelenskyy has asked Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to act as an intermediary between Moscow and Kyiv.

Zelenskyy said Saturday he told Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that he would be ready to meet Putin in Jerusalem. Bennett visited Moscow for a meeting with Putin and spoke repeatedly with Zelenskyy and the leaders of France and Germany as he sought to help mediate an end to the war.

Zelenskyy said the Russians could take the Ukrainian capital "only if they kill us all." "If that is their goal, let them come," he said.

"If they carry out carpet bombings and wipe off the historic memory of the entire region, the history of Kyivan Rus, the history of Europe, they could enter Kyiv but they will have to leave on that land alone, certainly without us.

"Even if they bring a million Russians here, they can't occupy Ukraine," he added. Zelenskyy again deplored NATO's refusal to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine despite its repeated pleas. He said that Ukraine has sought for ways to procure air defense assets, but he wouldn't mention any details.

Zelenskyy says about 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in fighting since the start of the Russian invasion.

Speaking at a news conference Saturday, Zelenskyy said it would take Russia to carpet-bomb the Ukrainian capital and kill its residents to take the city. He added that "if that is their goal, let them come."

Zelenskyy said that "if they carry out carpet bombings and wipe off the historic memory of the entire region, the history of Kyivan Rus, the history of Europe, they could enter Kyiv."

As reported, on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine and launched a large-scale invasion.

Russian troops have been shelling and destroying key infrastructure. Missiles hit residential buildings. Martial law was imposed in Ukraine and general mobilization was announced.

Ukraine officially filed a lawsuit against the Russian Federation with the UN International Court of Justice in The Hague.