Former Ukraine president says time is now to negotiate with Russia: Don't trust Putin but don't be afraid

Petro Poroshenko calls for strengthening Ukraine forces as Putin increases aggression in the region

Former Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko said Friday that deadly Russian airstrikes and the recent discovery of a mass gravesite serve as a "good point for launching negotiation" to end the bloody war.

"The best negotiator, the best diplomat for this negotiation, is armed forces of Ukraine, who is supported by the whole world," Poroshenko told "Varney & Co." Friday. "Putin understands only strength and our unity."

Poroshenko joined FOX Business live from recently liberated Izyum, Ukraine, to discuss the advancing Russia-Ukraine war and the recent push by some conservatives for a negotiated settlement. 

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Putin sits at desk

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via videoconference in St. Petersburg, Russia, Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File) (AP Newsroom)

Ukrainian forces recently uncovered a mass grave site outside Izyum, with several burn pits containing some 1,100 partially charred bodies, sources told Fox News Digital. 

The discovery is further evidence of Russian President Vladimir Putin's increased aggression in his military tactics as an act of retaliation against Ukrainian civilians' success throughout the war.

Russia launched barrages of missiles, shells and other ordnance into Ukrainian cities in a campaign that started on Monday, vowing revenge for the bombing and partial destruction of the Kerch Bridge last week, which connects Russia to Crimea.

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"The missiles hit just two kilometers from my house," Poroshenko said.

The International Criminal Court and several nations, including the U.S. and its European allies, have opened investigations into the alleged war crimes. Despite the investigation, the Russia-Ukraine war has been in-progress for 233 days as of Friday October, 14th 2022, and Russia is showing no indication of slowing. 

Poroshenko shared negotiation advice from his experience dealing with Putin and reacted to the idea of a "negotiated settlement" with Russia. 

A woman cries outside houses damaged by a Russian airstrike

A woman cries outside houses damaged by a Russian airstrike, according to locals, in Gorenka, outside the capital Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda / AP Newsroom)

"Those who try to find a compromise with Putin should understand the following," he said. "Putin wants to kill us and we want to live. Putin wants to erase Ukraine as a state, as a nation from the world map. And we want to have our state. We want to move it to European family."

"Please don't trust Putin," he continued. "I have five years of experience with him for negotiation. And please don't be afraid of Putin. Learn from Ukraine. Keep strong. Keep together. And we throw Putin and Russian troops away from Ukrainian soil."

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Fox News' Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.