Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks in a picture by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, showing Britain's prime minister Boris Johnson during a session in Ukraine's parliament, May 3, 2022. KYIV MOSCOW COPENHAGEN Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country may put the issue of neutral status on a nationwide referendum, the country s Ukrinform news agency reported on Tuesday.
Zelensky said that if Russia wants Ukraine's neutral status to be one of the provisions of the agreements on ending the conflict, we are ready to consider this neutral status for Ukraine.
He said that only after Ukraine received security guarantees from specific countries, the referendum would be possible.
In 2014, the Ukrainian parliament renounced Ukraine's non-aligned status with the intention of deepening cooperation with NATO.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called for Western countries to stop supplying Ukraine with weapons during a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.
Putin told Macron about Russia's efforts in the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol.
Russia is open to dialogue, and the Russian president urged Western countries to stop arming Kiev.
He said Western sanctions against Russia are worsening global food insecurity, in response to Macron's concerns over this issue.
In this photo taken from the video smoke of the Metallurgical Combine Azovstal in Mariupol, in territory under the government of the Donetsk People's Republic, eastern Ukraine, May 3, 2022. PHOTO AP India's prime minister Narendra Modi has urged diplomatic resolutions for the ongoing Ukraine crisis.
After meeting with his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen, he said a dialogue and diplomacy should be done to resolve the issue.
Modi reiterated India's position on the conflict, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Ukraine. Modi said that his visit to Denmark, the first by an Indian prime minister in 20 years, was part of a process to strengthen ties between the two countries. He said that he wanted to make cooperation more dynamic in areas such as renewable energy, health, ports, shipping, the circular economy, and water management.
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Since Monday, the Indian prime minister has been on a tour through France, Denmark and Germany. He is expected to attend the second India-Nordic summit on Wednesday, along with the prime ministers of Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Sweden and Norway.
Ukraine has received 4.5 billion dollars in aid since the start of the conflict.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Tuesday that Ukraine has received 4.5 billion euros about $4.73 billion in financial international aid since the start of the conflict with Russia.
Shmyhal said that Ukraine received $500 million in grant funds from the World Bank over the past week. We are very grateful for this support. This helps us to keep all social benefits in full, as well as to open new assistance programs. He said that the government had launched a platform that would help raise funds for the country's post-conflict recovery.