Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that talks with Russia could break down if the defenders of Mariupol are ‘eliminated’, local media has reported.
Speaking to Ukrainian media, Mr Zelensky said: “I want to say that the elimination of our army, our guys, will put an end to all negotiations.”
His comments come as Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine’s richest man, has pledged to help rebuild the besieged city of Mariupol.
The billionaire tycoon said the war-torn city on the coast of the Black Sea is important to him as it is where his company Metinvest owns two steelworks that he says will once again compete globally.
Conflict in Ukraine has seen his wealth reduce from £19 billion ($25bn) in 2011 to £6.5bn ($8.5bn) last year.
On Friday, Metinvest said it would never operate under Russian occupation and that the Mariupol siege had disabled more than a third of Ukraine’s metallurgy production capacity.
