generic Ukrainian President Says Prisoners with ‘Combat Experience’ Will Be Released to Join Fight against Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday he will release prisoners who have “real combat experience” to help fight the war against Russia.
Zelensky said in a video address that everyone who is able to “join the struggle against the invaders must do so,” including prisoners who will be freed to help with the “struggle for our state.”
“Under martial law, Ukrainians with real combat experience will be released from custody and will be able to compensate for their guilt in the hottest spots of the conflict,” Zelensky said, according to the Daily Mail.
“We have taken a decision which is not easy from the moral point of view, but which is useful from the point of view of our defenses,” he said, adding that the “key is now defense.”
The Ukrainian president also again asked the European Union to immediately allow Ukraine to join the bloc.
“We appeal to the European Union for the immediate accession of Ukraine via a new special procedure,” he said in the video address.
“Our goal is to be together with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be on an equal footing,” Zelensky added. “I’m sure it’s fair. I’m sure it’s possible.”
The address came as Russian and Ukrainian officials prepared to meet on the Ukraine-Belarus border on Monday morning for peace negotiations. The talks ended without a clear resolution as the Russian invasion raged on.
Ahead of the talks, Zelensky confirmed his country’s objective for the negotiations was an “immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian troops.” Zelensky did not participate in the talks, though the country sent its defense minister and several high-ranking officials to meet with a Russian delegation.
While the parties did not agree on a ceasefire, a top adviser to Zelensky said the two sides would meet for a second round of peace talks after each delegation returns to its respective capital to discuss the other side’s demands.
Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said Russia wants to reach an agreement that serves both parties.
The Russian invasion, which began Thursday, had killed at least 352 Ukrainian civilians as of Sunday, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Interior.
