Ukrainian ambassador says Zelensky is 'as safe as our country'

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is "as safe" as the country, a Ukrainian ambassador to the US said.
• "He is as safe as our country, and that's the choice he made to stay in Kyiv, and in Ukraine," she said.

Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova on Sunday said she believed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was "as safe" as the rest of the country during the Russian invasion.

"He is as safe as our country, and that's the choice he made to stay in Kyiv, and in Ukraine, and lead the nation in this very difficult moment," Markarova said during an appearance Sunday on ABC News' "This Week."

Zelensky's office on Sunday told the BBC the Ukrainian government had agreed to meet for peace talks with Russia.

During a phone call with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Zelensky agreed that a Ukrainian delegation would meet with Putin's representatives without preconditions, his office said, Insider previously reported.

—The Recount (@therecount) February 27, 2022

The meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday morning at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, near the Pripyat River, Ukraine's Deputy Interior Minister Evgeny Yenin said, according to CNN. As Insider previously reported, Zelensky previously said he was reluctant to hold peace talks with Russia in Belarus because parts of Russia's invasion were launched from there.

Zelensky, who has opted to remain in the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv despite reported offers from the US to help him evacuate, on Saturday called on "every friend of Ukraine" to "please come over" to help defend against the invasion.

"Please stop those who are lying, or trying to lie to you, or lying to us. We need to stop this war," he said during a Saturday morning briefing, according to The Guardian. "We can live in peace together, globally, as humans."

—Defence of Ukraine (@DefenceU) February 27, 2022

In a video posted Saturday morning local time, Zelensky said: "I am here. We are not putting down arms. We will be defending our country, because our weapon is truth, and our truth is that this is our land, our country, our children, and we will defend all of this."

"That is it. That's all I wanted to tell you. Glory to Ukraine," he added.