Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky declined an offer to evacuate on Friday night, the AP reported.- On Saturday morning, he posted a video from central Kyiv denouncing misinformation.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a video of himself from Kyiv reaffirming that he's still in the country's capital and residents are still urged to resist
In the video, shot in front of the House with Chimaeras, an architecturally unique building near the president's office, Zelensky addressed misinformation he said was circulating online.
"Ukrainians, it has now come to our attention that a lot of fake information has been circulating about me (Volodimir Zelenskiy) allegedly calling to our armed forces to lay down their arms, and to evacuate. Let's get things straight. We are here, we are not laying down any arms, we are going to defend our nation," Zelensky said.
—Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 26, 2022
He added: "This is because our weapons are our truth, and our truth lies in the fact that this is our land, this is our country, our children, and we are going to defend all of this. So this is what I want to tell you. Glory to Ukraine!"
Zelensky may have been referring to a message on a Telegram account viewed by Insider. The message, written by a party claiming to be Zelensky, was in Russian, a language he does not typically use when addressing Ukrainians. It said: "We are laying down our arms! Tell everyone! This is a difficult, but collective decision. We are delegating a negotiator, General Zhordochkin. We are ending our resistance efforts!"
The President's video message comes after officials in Kyiv told residents to stay away from windows and take shelter indoors as active fighting escalated on the streets, the Associated Press reported.
Russian troops headed toward Kyiv and explosions were heard across the city throughout the night.
The AP also reported that Zelensky on Friday night declined an offer from the US to be evacuated from Kyiv.
"The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride," Zelensky said in response.
When asked by a reporter Saturday if there has been any decision between the US and the Ukrainian government about securing Zelenskyy's safety in or outside of Ukraine, State Department spokesperson Ned Price they are in "constant discussion" over the matter.
"At working levels we have been in regular contact with our Ukrainian partners about the challenges they're facing, about the ways we will continue to support them," Price said.