Nearly 100 Ukraine Servicemen Could Die Every Day in East Region: Zelensky

Russia's war could kill between 50 and 100 Ukrainian servicemen in the East region every day, Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky said on Sunday.

Zelensky gave the estimate when asked at a press conference about a petition to revoke a ban on men leaving the country. He had just met with Polish President Andrzej Duda.

The petition has garnered 25,000 signatures.

"I do not know to whom this petition should be addressed. Maybe to me. Or maybe it should be addressed to parents who have lost their sons, who defended this or that oblast, this or that city at the cost of their lives?" Zelensky said, according to the Ukrainian news organization Babel.

"And you know that most of them are not the cities where they were born. When today, between 50 and 100 people a day can die in the most difficult direction, in the East," he continued, according to Babel. "They are defending our state and our independence, which is what everyone in the world is talking about."

In his meeting with Duda in Kyiv, Zelensky said in a daily update that "Ukrainian-Polish relations are finally on a completely clean, sincere basis, without any quarrels and old conflict heritage."

"This is an achievement. The historical achievement of our nations," the statement said. "And I want the brotherhood between Ukrainians and Poles to be preserved forever. As I said about this today to the deputies: for our unity, the unity of Ukrainians and Poles, to be a constant value that no one will violate."

Zelensky and the Polish president also discussed "defense support for Ukraine," "strengthening sanctions against Russia" and "the steps we need to take to achieve our common goal - full membership of Ukraine in the EU."

"I am grateful to Andrzej and all the Polish people for the fact that we are going along this path as quickly as possible," he said.

He also announced a "joint customs control with Poland."

"This will significantly speed up border procedures," he said. "It will remove most of the corruption risks. But it is also the beginning of our integration into the common customs space of the European Union. That is a truly historical process."

Zelensky looked ahead to the new week as he prepared to "join the discussions at the Davos Forum."

"This is the world's most influential economic platform where Ukraine has something to say," he said.

The meeting comes as Ukraine seeks to strengthen its relationship with countries across the globe.

"Our state expands its international ties every week to get everything it needs to end the war as soon as possible," he said.