According to Ukrainian President Zelensky, any negotiations extended with Russia to end the war will require a referendum

*Paromita Das

According to Reuters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Monday that any compromises reached with Russia to end the war would need to be voted on by Ukrainians in a referendum.

In an interview with Ukrainian public broadcasting company Suspilne, Zelensky stated, “The people must speak up and respond to various forms of compromise. And what they will be is the subject of our talks and understanding between Ukraine and Russia.”

Issues that could be raised in any referendum include territories occupied by Russian forces, including Crimea, or security guarantees offered to Ukraine in exchange for NATO membership, according to Zelensky.

Meanwhile, according to local officials, eight people were killed when Russian bombs destroyed a shopping center in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.

According to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, the Retroville shopping mall and cars parked in the adjacent lot caught fire as a result of Russian shelling in the Podilskyi district late on Sunday.

Sixty-three firefighters were dispatched to extinguish the flames, which had reached the third and fourth floors of the shopping center, according to CNN.

According to Reuters, “according to the information we have at the moment, several homes and one of the shopping centres,” city mayor Vitali Klitschko said on his Telegram channel.