Zelenskyy says Ukraine must recognise it will not join Nato

Moscow has repeatedly called for guarantees that Ukraine would not become part of the alliance

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the meeting with the leaders of Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Poland in Kyiv on Tuesday. Via AP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his country must recognise that it will not join Nato, hinting at a compromise that addresses a key Russian concern about the military alliance growing.

Mr Zelenskyy's comments on Tuesday came as Russian forces pushed further towards Kyiv with deadly strikes on residential buildings, despite a new round of talks aimed at halting the war.

He said Ukraine should accept that it would not join Nato and that Kyiv was prepared to have security guarantees instead of joining.

"We have heard for years that the doors were open but we also heard that we could not join," Mr Zelenskyy told a video conference with military officials. "It's a truth and it must be recognised.

"If we cannot enter through open doors, then we must co-operate with the associations with which we can, which will help us, protect us ... and have separate guarantees."

Moscow has repeatedly called for guarantees that Ukraine would not join the alliance. Western nations say it is a country's sovereign right to apply to join.

Peace talks resumed between Russian and Ukrainian delegations by video link.

Ukrainian officials played up hopes that the war could end sooner than expected, saying Moscow may be coming to terms with its failure to impose a new government in Kyiv by force.

Mr Zelenskyy called on Russian troops to surrender.

"You will not take anything from Ukraine. You will take lives," he said in a video message. "But why should you die? What for? I know that you want to survive."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was too early to predict progress in peace talks.

"The work is difficult and in the current situation the very fact that they are continuing is probably positive," Mr Peskov said.

One of Mr Zelenskyy's top aides said the war would be over by May or even within weeks, as Russia had run out of fresh troops.

Three weeks into Russia's invasion of its pro-western neighbour, more than three million people have been forced to flee to neighbouring countries and 97 Ukrainian children have died, Mr Zelenskyy told Canadian members of Parliament in a video appearance on Tuesday.

The UN has recorded at least 691 civilian deaths, including 48 children, since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, although it believes the true figures are far higher.

Meanwhile the leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia arrived in Ukraine’s capital on a mission to show support.

The visit by Slovenia's Janez Jansa, Poland's Mateusz Morawiecki and Czech leader Petr Fiala is the first by such a delegation since the war broke out.

Their train trip to a city under bombardment was described by the Polish leader's chief of staff as "a historic event" and an "unequivocal expression of support for Ukraine" by the three EU member states.

"It is our duty to be where history is forged because it's not about us, but about the future of our children who deserve to live in a world free from tyranny," Mr Morawiecki said.

Mr Zelenskyy, who is due to address the US Congress on Wednesday, again called on western nations to “close the sky” and impose a no-fly zone above Ukraine.

“Please stop the bombing,” he pleaded in his address to Canadian politicians. “How many more cruise missiles have to fall on our cities until you make this happen?”

Nato foreign ministers have rejected a no-fly zone because of fears that it could be regarded as an escalation against nuclear-superpower Russia.

Agencies contributed to this report.

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  Smoke rising in Kyiv, which mayor Vitali Klitschko says faces a 'difficult and dangerous moment' as Russian forces step up strikes. AFP

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  Pope Francis meets visitors holding the Ukrainian flag during his weekly general audience in the Vatican. AFP

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  An anti-war protester demonstrates against Russia's invasion of Ukraine in front of the Nato headquarters in Brussels. AFP

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  A poster in Saint Petersburg carries the letter Z, a symbol of support for the invasion, and reads: "We are proud of Russia! We are not ashamed!" AFP

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  Amid the Ukraine war, there's time for a seaside stroll in Odesa. Reuters

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  A child who fled from Ukraine to Belgium waits outside an immigration office in Brussels. EPA

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  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy receives a standing ovation as he appears via videoconference to make an address to Canada's Parliament. AP

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  A woman walks with a bicycle next to a building damaged during the conflict in the separatist-controlled town of Volnovakha, Donetsk region. Reuters

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  A firefighter outside a destroyed apartment building in a residential area of Kyiv. AP

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  Ukrainian soldiers pay tribute to Col Valeriy Gudz, who was killed in battle against Russian troops, at a cemetery in the town of Boryspil. AP

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  Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a housing block hit by shelling in the Sviatoshynsky district, in western Kyiv. AFP

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  Two people were killed as a series of powerful explosions rocked residential districts in Kyiv just hours before talks between Ukraine and Russia were set to resume. AFP

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  The Met Opera and Chorus performs during 'A Concert For Ukraine' in New York City. AFP

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  A worker welds metal at the Interpipe Steel plant in Dnipro, Ukraine. Hundreds of Interpipe’s 10,000 employees have joined the fight against Russia. AP

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  A woman is rescued by firefighters from her apartment in a burning building that was hit by artillery shells in Kyiv. AP

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  Rescuers work at a building damaged by an air strike, in central Kharkiv, Ukraine. Reuters

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  A woman who fled Ukraine to Belgium waits outside an immigration office, in Brussels. EPA

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  Cars stuck at the Irpin River bridge, as Russia unleashes a barrage of air strikes on cities across Ukraine. AFP

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  A firefighter looks at a section of a Ukrainian Tochka-U missile on a street in the separatist Donetsk region. The Russian military said 20 civilians were killed by a ballistic missile launched by the Ukrainian forces. AP

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  Musician Davide Martello plays a piano near the Ukrainian border in Medyka, Poland. More than 1.76 million people have crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border into Poland, the Polish Border Guard reported on March 14. EPA

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  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, snaps a selfie with a wounded man during a visit at a military hospital after fighting in the Kyiv region.AFP

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  Ukrainian soldiers carry rocket-propelled grenades and sniper rifles as they walk towards the city of Irpin, north-west of Kyiv. AFP

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  Troops carry an elderly woman on a stretcher across a makeshift bridge as Ukrainians flee Irpin. AFP

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  Irina Moprezova, 54, stands in front of a house that was damaged by an air strike in Irpin. AFP

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  The flags of Russia and Ukraine are projected on the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, which a representative from the Jerusalem Municipality said is a show of support for diplomatic dialogue between the countries. Reuters

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  A person holds a Ukrainian flag during an anti-war demonstration at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany. Reuters

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  A Ukrainian soldier takes cover as people flee Irpin. AFP

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  Ukrainians shelter in an underground train station during the day in Kyiv. EPA

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  A Ukrainian serviceman walks carefully with his weapon in the city of Irpin, near Kyiv. AFP

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  Ukrainian people flee the city of Irpin, north-west of Kyiv. AFP

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  Ukrainian servicemen carry an elderly woman on a stretcher from the city of Irpin. AFP

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  A girl plays games on her tablet inside a subway carriage being used as a bomb shelter in Kyiv. AFP

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  A Ukrainian firefighter drags a hose inside a large food products storage facility which was destroyed by an air strike on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP

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  Ukrainian troops with a Javelin anti-tank missile on the front line in the northern Kyiv region. Reuters

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  A woman carries her dog during an evacuation in Irpin. Reuters

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  A Ukrainian woman takes shelter in a metro station during the day in Kyiv. EPA

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  A member of the Ukrainian armed forces on patrol in Irpin. Reuters

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  A Ukrainian fighter takes cover behind a car in the city of Irpin. AFP

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  Firefighters at work after air strikes hit residential buildings in Chernihiv, northern Ukraine. AFP

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  A man wounded in an air strike is helped by medical staff in Novoiavorivsk, western Ukraine. Getty

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  The ruins of the Ukraine Hotel after recent shelling in Chernihiv. EPA