Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would be prepared to step down as leader in order to “achieve peace,” or to ensure his country can join the NATO military alliance.
The remarks came on the eve of the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Overnight, Russia unleashed one of its largest aerial attacks against Ukraine, hitting the capital Kyiv.
Invasion
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. It now controls about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, mostly in the east and north.
There has been little movement on the frontlines over the past year, other than a counter-offensive by Ukraine into Russian territory.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine publish updated data on military casualties.
The UN estimates around 12,600 civilians have been killed since the outbreak of war, and that 12.7 million need humanitarian aid.
Other UN data shows 10% of all housing in Ukraine has been “damaged or destroyed” by Russian attacks.
The global body also said strikes on power plants have disrupted electricity “three winters in a row”.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy was elected President in 2019.
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Since Russia’s invasion, he has lobbied allies to support his country’s war efforts.
Zelenskyy has appeared at dozens of European summits and travelled to the U.S. to appeal for continued humanitarian and military aid.
He also provides daily updates of the war’s progress on his social media channels.
At a press conference, a journalist asked Zelenskyy if he was prepared to resign in exchange for a resolution to the war.
“If to achieve peace you really need me to give up my post, I’m ready... I’ll do it immediately,” Zelenskyy said.
“I can trade it for NATO, if there are such conditions.”
It follows recent criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, who labelled Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections” and falsely claimed his approval ratings were at 4%. Ukraine did not hold an election as scheduled last year because the country is under military law.
Drone attacks
Ukraine came under attack from one of Russia’s largest drone strikes over night.
Zelenskyy said 267 drones were launched overnight across parts of Ukraine on the eve of the third anniversary of the invasion.
He said 1,400 aerial bombs have targeted Ukraine over the past week.
Videos from Kyiv show air missiles intercepting drones.
