Zelensky calls for foreigners to take up arms for Ukraine

Amidst a raging war with Russia, Ukranian President Volodymr Zelensky has called for foreigners who support Ukraine to take up arms for the country by joining the newly-established "international legion" for volunteers, which will allow foreign nationals to participate in the defense of Ukraine.

"Foreigners willing to defend Ukraine and world order as part of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, I invite you to contact foreign diplomatic missions of Ukraine in your respective countries. Together we defeated Hitler, and we will defeat Putin, too," Zelensky tweeted on Sunday.

Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba tweeted from his official handle that foreigners willing to join the volunteer army in defending Ukraine must contact diplomatic missions of Ukraine in their respective countries.

Zelensky added that this would be the ultimate show of support.

Ukraine's Interior Ministry on Sunday said as many as 352 Ukrainian civilians, including 14 children, have been killed during Russia's invasion. Ukraine has also claimed to have inflicted over 4000 casualties amongst Russian troops although no other confirmation of this number has emerged.

1,684 people, including 116 children, have been wounded according to the statement from the ministry although it did not include information on casualties among its armed forces.

Zelensky has agreed to hold talks "with no preconditions" at the Ukraine-Belarus border today, even as Russian President Vladimir Putin stoked the flames by ordering nuclear forces to be put on standby on Sunday.

"We agreed that the Ukrainian delegation would meet with the Russian delegation without preconditions on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, near the Pripyat River," Zelensky announced on his official Telegram channel, describing a phone call Sunday with President Aleksandr G Lukashenko of Belarus.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council Monday is set to hold a rare special emergency session of the UN General Assembly on the ongoing crisis and then vote on a resolution later this week to "hold Russia accountable" for the violation of the UN charter.

India, along with the UAE and China have abstained from the vote. Russia voted against the resolution.