Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky has warned of a "third World War" if talks with Vladimir Putin fail to restore peace following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"[I]f these attempts fail, that would mean ... a third World War," Mr. Zelensky told CNN on Sunday via video link. Additionally, the commander stated that he believes Russian soldiers attempt to"exterminate" Ukraine's civilian population.

"Unfortunately, our dignity is not going to preserve lives. So I think that we have to use any format...[to reach] the possibility of talking to Putin," Mr. Zelensky told CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria.

The Ukrainian leader said this week marks the one-month anniversary of Russia's incursion. According to US intelligence agencies, Ukraine has fought the attacks on multiple fronts and inflicted thousands of losses on Russia's military forces in weeks. The magnitude is equivalent to the US's decade-long losses in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The toll of Ukraine's civilian population is also staggering. According to United Nations reports, over 800 people have perished since the conflict began.

Mr. Zelensky, on the other hand, stated that the terrible war was doing havoc UkrUkraine's civilian population. In recent weeks, millions of Ukrainians have abandoned their motherland".

"We were losing people daily, innocent people on the ground. ... Russian forces have come to exterminate us, to kill "s," he told CNN.

US lawmakers have renewed their calls for increased military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine as the cost of the Bidadmadministration's response continues to rise.

The US has sworn not to intervene in any situation that could result in a direct military conflict with Russia but has suppliUkrUkraine's armed forces with anti-air, anti-tank, and other heavy weaponry. There have been strong warnings MosMoscow's prospective friends not to do the same thing for Russia.

These threats culminated last week in a meeting between White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and senior Chinese officials in Europe to discuss whether Russia would receive economic or military support from Beijing in exchange for its invasion. On SundaChiChina's ambassador to the United States denied that such assistance would be forthcoming.