Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says peace talks with Russia tough but progressing

Ukraine’s president said early Wednesday that negotiations with Russia on ending the war were difficult but are slowing moving forward.

In a video address on his Telegram account, Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the latest developments regarding the war, negotiations and evacuations.

“Ukrainian representatives are working on the negotiations, which continue virtually every day. It is difficult, sometimes scandalous. But step by step, we are moving forward,” Zelenskyy said.

He noted that the talks with Russia were ongoing at various levels to bring an end to the brutal war, which has left thousands of people dead and millions displaced.

Some 100,000 people are stranded in the besieged city of Mariupol and are being forced to live under a complete blockade in inhumane conditions without food, water and medicine, according to Zelenskyy, who noted that around 7,000 others were evacuated but Russian forces hampered the evacuation process.

“Our representatives are trying to agree on humanitarian corridors in the Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk regions,” he said, adding further evacuations would take place in Mariupol on Wednesday.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which began on Feb. 24, has been met with international outrage, with the European Union, US and UK among others implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 953 civilians have been killed during the war and 1,557 injured, according to a tally by the UN.

The international body warns, however, that the true toll is "considerably higher."

More than 3.5 million people have fled Ukraine amid the Russian attacks, according to the UN refugee agency.