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KYIV, Ukraine. — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the war against the Russian invasion would have already ended if Ukraine had been given all the weapons it needs.

Speaking to his nation late Tuesday, Zelensky praised the skill of the Ukrainian military and repeated his call for more weapons. He said it was unfair that he still has to ask countries for weapons that have been sitting in storage for years, calling it a moral duty to help protect freedom.

Russia says it rejected a temporary cease-fire in Ukraine during Holy Week because the request was “insincere.”

The UN had requested a cease-fire in the week before Easter to evacuate civilians in parts of Ukraine that were under siege by Russian forces.

On Tuesday, Russia’s deputy ambassador told the UN Security Council that the request was rejected because it was not sincere, and would only provide time for Ukrainian soldiers to regroup and receive more drones and missiles.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres says over 12 million people in Ukraine need humanitarian assistance.

Ukrainian member of parliament and political leader Kira Rudyk is pleading for the opening of humanitarian corridors in the battered city of Mariupol. Despite multiple efforts to open humanitarian corridors in partnership with European leaders and the Red Cross, thousands still remain trapped in the city.

Rudyk said people were being forced to hide in basements and dying of hunger, dehydration and common diseases due to a lack of access to supplies. She also revealed that officials had received reports out of Mariupol that Russian forces had bombed a hospital and left hundreds trapped under the rubble.

President Biden is opening up about possibly visiting the war-torn country of Ukraine. While in New Hampshire, Biden said he doesn’t know if he will get to make another trip there. It came while Biden was promoting the role of ports in the U.S. economy in his visit to New England.

President Zelensky said on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday that he wants Biden to visit his country, and he believes that he will.