Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declined to meet in Belarus to hold talks with Russia. The delegations are now meeting at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border.
Talks between Ukraine and Russia on a possible peace settlement are expected to begin in the morning hours. This is reported by the Russian state agency Tass and the “Ukrainska Pravda”.
The reason for the delay in the meeting at the Ukrainian-Belarusian, which was supposed to start on Sunday, is the “logistics of the Ukrainian delegation,” writes Tass, referring to an anonymous source. The Russian delegation has already left Minsk and traveled to the conference venue.
Kiev had not set any conditions for the planned talks, the Ukrainian Presidential Office had previously announced. The Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko also took responsibility for ensuring that all planes, helicopters and missiles stationed in Belarus remained on the ground during the Ukrainian delegation’s arrival.
The Russian delegation had previously announced that they were ready. “The Russian side and the Russian delegation on the ground are fully prepared for the negotiations,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, made a similar statement.
Skeptical about exit
So far, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected negotiations in Belarus. The neighboring country is not neutral, he said as justification. Lukashenko admitted that two rockets had also been fired at Ukraine from Belarusian territory. However, Zelenskyy later phoned Lukashenko.
As the Belarusian state agency Belta reported, Lukashenko then suggested to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a telephone call that the Russian delegation should wait longer in Gomel for the Ukrainians than originally planned. Moscow initially gave Kiev an ultimatum until 3:00 p.m. (1:00 p.m. CET) – and announced that it would leave again after that.
However, Selenskyj was skeptical about the outcome of the talks. “I don’t believe in the outcome of this meeting, but let’s try,” Zelenskyy said in a statement. He is trying to stop the war as long as there is a minimal chance. Not a single Ukrainian should doubt that, Zelensky said.
He had previously stressed that Ukraine had not been given any conditions for talks on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border. The talks are to take place on the border river Pripyat near the border crossing at Alexandrovka (Belarus) and Vicha (Ukraine). Lukashenko had promised him that Belarus would not send any soldiers to Ukraine, Zelensky said.
Source: Stern
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
