Delegations from Kyiv and Moscow have held the first round of discussions at the Ukraine-Belarus border after days of war. The talks were held on the border with strong Russian ally Belarus
High-level talks between Kyiv and Moscow take place at the Ukraine-Belarus border. Both sides agree to keep the negotiations going.
The first round of talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations held at the border with Belarus ended on Monday.
The outcome of the negotiations was not made public. The talks carried on for several hours and broke down twice, according to media reports. The length of the meeting “suggests they had something to talk about.”
Ahead of the negotiations, the Ukrainian presidency had demanded an immediate Russian ceasefire and troop withdrawal. Kyiv had been initially reluctant to send a delegation to Belarus, given the country’s role in facilitating Russia’s attack on Ukraine by hosting troops and weaponry used for the invasion.
On Sunday, the government in Minsk agreed to allow Moscow to install nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory. President Zelensky was not participating in the talks, which were being led by his Defence Minister, Oleksiï Reznikov and Russian presidential advisor Vladimir Medinsky. Negotiators from Ukraine and Russia will return to their capital cities for consultations.
The Russian delegation head, Vladimir Medinsky, said the two sides had “agreed to keep the negotiations going.”
Kyiv has said its goal for the discussions is an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of all Russian forces from Ukraine.
In the meantime French President Emmanuel Macron called on Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday to spare civilians in Ukraine, the French leader’s office said in a statement.
Macron’s office said in a statement that in a 90-minute phone call he had asked the Russian leader to stop attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, and secure major roadways, in particular the road from the south of Kyiv.
“President Putin confirmed his willingness to make commitments on these three points,” the statement said.
Macron also called on Putin to respect international humanitarian law, and allow aid shipments to reach the population, the statement said.
For his part, Putin stressed that the demilitarisation of Ukraine and Western recognition of Russian sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula were prerequisites to ending fighting in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.
“Vladimir Putin stressed that a settlement is possible only if Russia’s legitimate security interests are unconditionally taken into account, including the recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, the demilitarisation and denazification of the Ukrainian state and ensuring its neutral status,” according to a Kremlin readout of the call. / Argumentum.al
