Zelensky visits Bucha, says Russian atrocities will make talks ‘very difficult’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that negotiations between his nation and Russia would only grow more difficult after his visit to Bucha, where mass graves and bodies piled in the streets have led to new accusations of war crimes. 

“It’s very difficult to negotiate when you see what they have done here,” Zelensky said from Bucha, according to multiple outlets. 

He added that the situation in Ukraine would worsen “the longer the Russian Federation delays” talks, condemning the inhumane treatment of the Ukrainian people at the hands of Moscow’s forces.

Zelensky called out those who have opposed NATO membership for Ukraine, saying world leaders should “come here and see how these games, how this flirting with the Russian federation ends,” CNN reported.

Over the weekend, images circulated of Ukrainian civilians lying in the streets of Bucha after they had been executed by Russian forces. The brutal scene prompted an international outcry. 

International leaders such as President Biden, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg condemned the images.

Guterres said he was “deeply shocked” by images of civilian deaths and called for “an independent investigation leads to effective accountability,” while Stoltenberg called the images “horrific” and “absolutely unacceptable.”

Others such as Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron have called Russia’s actions in Bucha war crimes and demanded further sanctions against Moscow as a result. 

“There are very clear clues pointing to war crimes. It is more or less established that the Russian army is responsible [for the Bucha killings],” Macron said.

“What happened in Bucha demands a new round of sanctions and very clear measures,” he added.