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Defiant Zelenskyy says it will be 'impossible' for Russia to conquer Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Posted at 10:07 AM, Mar 02, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-02 13:07:30-05

In remarks delivered Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remained defiant despite a continued invasion from Russia.

According to a translation from Sky News, Zelenskyy told Ukrainians and the world that he thought it would be "impossible" for Russia to conquer his country.

"It will not happen with rockets, it will not happen with bombs, tanks, any strikes," Zelenskyy said. "We are on our land, and there will be an international tribunal to prosecute them for the war against us."

During his remarks, Zelenskyy made the claim that Russia had lost 6,000 servicemembers since the invasion began roughly a week ago.

"Just think about this figure. Almost 6,000 Russians died, Russian servicemen, within six days of war, a figure without the enemy's losses from the last night," Zelenskyy said. "Six thousand. To receive what? To receive Ukraine? It's impossible."

Despite Zelenskyy's comments, it's unclear how many soldiers Russia has lost in battle in recent days. According to The Associated Press, Russia has not released overall casualty numbers, and the AP could not independently confirm the figure.

Zelenskyy's remarks came as Russia and Ukraine both expressed a willingness to resume peace talks later on Wednesday. Such discussions would be the first since Monday, when negotiations ended after five hours with no agreements except to meet again in the future.

The Ukrainian president's remarks also come as Russia has continued its assault on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. Russian strikes have killed 21 people and injured 112 in the city in the last 24 hours.

Russia is also threatening Kyiv, as a miles-long convoy of military vehicles inches its way toward the Ukrainian capital.