Zelensky: Russians are withdrawing from the vicinity of Kyiv because we pushed them

(Patria)- It is the 36th day of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address that negotiations with Russia are ongoing, but they are just words.

"Yes, we have a negotiation process, but these are just words, without anything concrete," Zelensky said.

He said that the "alleged withdrawal" of Russian troops from Kyiv and Chernihiv is not a withdrawal but a result of the work of the Ukrainian army.

"There are also other words about the alleged withdrawal of Russian troops from Kyiv and Chernihiv and the reduction of occupier activity in those areas. This is not a withdrawal, this is the result of the work of our defenders who pushed them back," he said.

He added that Russian troops are concentrating in the Donbas region and preparing for new attacks. He also said that Ukrainians are "ready for this."

"We will not give anything away and we will fight for every meter of our land," he said.

He called on the public not to criticize the performance of the Ukrainian armed forces.

"If someone thinks they can teach our army how to fight and how to confront the enemy, the best way to do that is to go to the battlefield yourself. Not from the couch at home or from a safe place you fled to, but from the real battlefields. Show your abilities in combat. If you are not ready for that, do not teach our defenders how to do their job," he said.

The Ukrainian president said he had an hour-long conversation with US President Joe Biden and thanked him for an additional $500 million in aid to Ukraine.

Zelensky said that US support is crucial for Ukraine.

"If we want to fight together for freedom, then we ask our partners to help, and if we ourselves are truly fighting for freedom and the protection of democracy, we have every right to ask for help in this key difficult moment. We need tanks, warplanes, artillery... Freedom must be armed no worse than tyranny," he said.

6:00 - The Russian Defense Ministry announced a ceasefire in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol to allow the evacuation of civilians. "For this humanitarian operation to succeed, we propose to carry it out with the direct participation of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Committee of the Red Cross," the ministry said in a statement cited by the France Press agency.

A humanitarian corridor from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia, through the Russian-controlled port city of Berdyansk, will open at 10:00 local time. Ukraine did not comment on the announcement.

5:30 - Russia and Ukraine will continue their peace negotiations online on April 1, a senior Ukrainian official reported on Wednesday, after the last round of talks concluded in Turkey.

Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia announced that Ukraine proposed a meeting of the leaders of the two countries, but that Russia responded that more work was needed on the draft agreement.

The official Kremlin on Wednesday assessed that there was no "progress" in the negotiations between the warring parties in Istanbul. That assessment followed an earlier and more optimistic statement by the chief Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky, who said that Kyiv had shown a willingness to accept the main Russian demands, including abandoning NATO membership, but with the remark that Moscow's position on Donbas and Crimea remains unchanged.