Zelensky says Ukraine ready for any swap format for the sake of its people in Mariupol

He said this at a joint briefing with European Council President Charles Michel in Kyiv on Wednesday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"The situation in Mariupol is deteriorating. Unfortunately, we cannot achieve any positive results there. [...] Therefore, I don't know when we can unblock Mariupol," he said.

According to him, there are two ways to unblock the besieged city. "The first one is serious heavy weapons assistance, which we are counting on. So far we do not have enough of this equipment. The second way is diplomatic. Russia has not agreed to it so far," Zelensky said.

Zelensky also said that the Ukrainian side is ready for various formats of exchange, including for the Russian military. "They [Russian invaders] left both the corpses scattered and the wounded. We are ready for any format of exchange for the sake of our people, both the military and civilians," Zelensky said.

He added that all Ukrainian servicemen who remain in Mariupol want to win and no one is going to lay down their arms.

Photo: President's Office