Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday delivered a somber address to his nation as Russian military forces appeared poised to launch a broader invasion.
As relayed by Financial Times Moscow bureau chief Max Seddon, Zelensky explained that he tried to reach out to Russian President Vladimir Putin this week in a seemingly last-ditch attempt to avoid a war.
"Today I initiated a phone conversation with the president of the Russian Federation," Zelensky said. "The result was silence. Although it's the Donbas where there should be silence."
Seddon also reports that Zelensky addressed the Russian people while speaking Russian, and he told them that they were being lied to by their leadership about the Kremlin's intentions in Ukraine.
"They're telling you that this flame will liberate the people of Ukraine, but the Ukrainian people are free," he said. "They remember their past and are building their future. Ukraine on your TV news and the real Ukraine are two totally different countries. Ours is real."
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Additionally, Zelensky warned that Putin may not just have his eyes on Ukraine.
"This step could be the start of a big war on the European continent," he said. "The whole world is talking about what could happen any day now."