Why Zelenskiy calls for another direct meeting with Putin

Zelenskiy said talks on ending the war would not be possible without Putin's meeting with him. He is ready to discuss all issues, including Russia-occupied Crimea, the Donbass region and Ukraine's security guarantees. However, Zelenskiy also said that the final decisions must be put before the Ukrainian people through a referendum. Zelenskiy made the call at a time when US President Biden warned that Vladimir Putin's back was against the wall and that he might use chemical or germ weapons in Ukraine. The Kremlin, however, said on Monday that progress had not yet been made in the talks as a direct meeting between the two leaders. More than 2 million people have fled Ukraine and taken refuge in Poland since Russia began its offensive in Ukraine, according to Polish border guarding authorities. Zelenskiy has already spoken to Pope Francis and hinted that the Vatican may play a role in mediating the war. He also gave a speech to the Italian Parliament via video link. There, he said, his country is now on the verge of surviving beyond the Russian campaign that began about four weeks ago. Despite his cautious optimism, Ukraine's military is warning that Russia will continue its indiscriminate shelling of cities and infrastructure. Fighting is going on around many cities. Fighting continues around Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, the southern port city of Marigold, and the northern Chernihiv. One witness said there were more explosions now than at any time before. Ukraine's military says it has recaptured the city of Dakar, west of Kiev, in a counter-offensive against Russian troops. Fighting is already underway in the vicinity of Boris pol, another city 25 miles east of Kiev's center. Residents have been advised to leave the area. Kiev  main international airport is here. Mayor Volodymyr Moiseenko said civilians should evacuate as soon as possible because Russian forces were also shelling non-stop in the town of Kharkiv, 30 miles from the Russian border. At least 500 civilians have been killed there so far, and nearly 1,000 homes have been destroyed. Ukraine's military says Russia has increased the presence of its aircraft in Ukrainian airspace over the past 24 hours. However, they also say that Russian forces have only three days of fuel and ammunition in their possession. Ukraine's defense ministry claims that 15,000 Russian soldiers have been killed so far. Russia says 498 of its soldiers have been killed as of March 2. On the other hand, for the first time, Russian shelling has come to the residential area of the Ukrainian port of Odessa on the Black Sea. The Russian Navy is said to have fired from the sea. However, British defense ministry sources said the advance of Russian forces appeared to have come to a standstill, and that Ukrainian forces were blocking Russian attempts to take over the city of Marigold. Another 3,000 people have been evacuated from the besieged city of Mariupol. In all, a total of 8,000 civilians were evacuated from various war zones on Monday. The two sides have not yet agreed on the establishment of a humanitarian corridor at Mariupol.