their independent status in the early days of this more recent conflict. another sticking point is that zelenskyy has said he will not discuss with the russians two of their pretexts for this unprovoked invasion which they say is demilitarization and denazification. he says that's basically -- those are ridiculous concepts that don't really apply to ukraine and no negotiations can move forward if the russians are going to stick to those two ideas. jake? >> ivan, what exactly are residents facing in the southern part of ukraine? >> reporter: oh, i mean, especially in that port city of mariupol, the conditions are absolutely abominable. it is a modern day siege, and this city is one of the unofficial gateways for thousands of people who are