Russia- Ukraine war; Zelenskyy ask Putin for direct talks.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine has urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to sit down for direct negotiations and cease Russia's invasion of his nation, while simultaneously urging the West to extend military supplies to Kyiv.

Zelenskyy warned the West on Thursday, speaking to journalists in his heavily protected headquarters in Kiev, that if Putin's military offensive succeeds, Russia may proceed to the rest of Europe.

"It's not that I don't want to talk to Putin," Ukrainian President stated. "I have to speak with Putin." Putin has to be talked to by the rest of the world. There is no other way to bring this battle to a close."

"What do you want from us?" he asked, addressing Putin. "Please leave our land."

"Sit down with me, but not 30 meters away," he continued, referring to Putin's reception of foreign leaders at a massive table.

Russian soldiers are continuing their attack on Ukrainian towns, including the capital, Kyiv, in the north, the second-largest city, Kharkiv, in the east, and the port cities of Kherson and Mariupol in the south, despite unprecedented sanctions imposed by the West.

Thousands of people have been killed or injured in the eight-day fighting, which has displaced over a million people.

On Thursday, Zelenskyy renewed his call for Western leaders to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine, which the US has previously criticized as putting the country in direct war with Russia.

The Ukrainian president, on the other hand, stated that Russia will not abandon Ukraine.

"Give me planes if you don't have the power to seal the skies!" According to Zelensky.

"God forbid, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia will be the next," he added, adding, "Believe me."

The requests from Zelenskyy came as Russian and Ukrainian teams gathered in Belarus for talks. Both sides agreed on the importance of humanitarian corridors.

A temporary pause to fighting in specific regions, according to Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, is also possible.

"That is, not everywhere, but only where the humanitarian corridors themselves are located, will it be possible to stop firing for the length of the evacuation," he explained.

He said that the two sides had reached an agreement on the distribution of medications and food to the areas where the most intense fighting was taking place, and that they would meet again next week.