World War Three 'may have already started', says Zelenskyy
Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelenskyy has warned that the world could be on the brink of a global war – that may already have started.
With the Ukraine crisis now in its third week, and peace talks with Russia still ongoing, Zelenskyy has told world leaders that the conflict has put the “whole civilisation at stake”.
Nato has refused Zelenskyy’s requests to implement a no-fly zone (NFZ), with both US president Joe Biden and prime minister Boris Johnson warning that it could spark World War Three.
But when asked if he understood why the no-fly zone requests were being denied, Zelenskyy told NBC News: “Nobody knows whether it may have already started. And what is the possibility of this war if Ukraine will fall, in case Ukraine will? It’s very hard to say.
“And we’ve seen this 80 years ago, when the Second World War had started... nobody would be able to predict when the full-scale war would start.”
Despite Zelenskyy’s stark warning, more peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are scheduled in hoped of ending the conflict.
Watch: Zelenskyy tells US Congress: 'We need you now'
Zelenskyy said that Vladimir Putin’s demands for ending the war are becoming “more realistic”, while Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said a neutral military status for Ukraine was being "seriously discussed" by the two sides.
A 15-point peace plan has already been drawn up, according to the Financial Times (FT), which includes a ceasefire and a Russian withdrawal.
The Ukrainian government would also have to accept neutrality and curbs on its armed forces under the terms laid out.
The FT also claimed that Ukraine would have to give up its bid to join Nato – something Zelenskyy has already acknowledged.
Speaking on Thursday morning, UK Foreign Office minister James Cleverly said any peace deal with Russia must be “one the Ukrainians genuinely believe in” and not “forced into”.
He told BBC Breakfast: “We have seen so much that has come out of the Kremlin and voices in the Kremlin which have turned out to be completely untrue.
“We will judge Russia on its actions. We continue to support president Zelensky in the work that he is doing to try and resolve this.
“The Ukrainians shouldn’t be forced into concessions. You don’t negotiate with a gun to your head.
“We want to make sure that any deal which is agreed between Ukraine and Russia is one the Ukrainians genuinely believe in and we will continue to apply pressure to Russia – economic pressure, sanctions pressure.”
