Zelensky called on the world to create an alliance against Russian President Vladimir Putin, in order to “force Russia to peace”, after Moscow launched a military operation against his country.
“We are in the process of building an anti-Putin coalition,” Zelensky said after talks with US, British and German leaders on Thursday.
“We are strong, we are ready for everything and we will win,” Zelensky said in response to the Russian attack on his country.
Regarding the situation on the ground, Zelensky said that several explosions were heard in many cities in Ukraine, and added: “We have imposed martial law on all state lands,” according to “Reuters”.
The Russian Defense Ministry had said its armed forces were firing in support of Moscow-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine as they launched an offensive.
Reuters, citing witnesses, said that a Russian military convoy in Crimea was seen moving north towards the Ukrainian mainland on Thursday.
A second column of military vehicles is parked in Krasno-Prykupsk, about 40 km from the border between Crimea and mainland Ukraine.
Ukraine reported the influx of groups of troops across its borders to the Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions in the east, and landings by sea in the cities of Odessa and Mariupol in the south.
Explosions were heard before dawn in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, and there was shooting near the main airport, and sirens sounded across the city.
For his part, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter: “Putin has just launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under attack.”
“This is a war of aggression. Ukraine will defend itself and it will win. The world can and must stop Putin. It’s time to act,” he said.