The representatives of Russia and Ukraine seemed to have “agreed on certain things” during the ceasefire talks hosted by Belarus on Monday. The representatives will now consult their heads of government before returning to the table for another round of discussions, reported Reuters.
According to advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Mykhailo Podolyak, the main objective of Monday’s discussions was to find a way to effect a ceasefire in Ukraine. “The two sides have identified a number of priority topics, on which “certain solutions have been outlined,” he added.
Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, confirmed the same. The nearly five-hour discussion near the Russian and the Ukrainian borders in Belarus. The next round of talks will be held along the border between Belarus and Poland, Medinsky said.
The Ukrainian delegation was headed by Defence Minister Alexey Reznikov. His main demand was an immediate cessation of the invasion and the withdrawal of all Russian troops from the country.
Zelenskyy had said on Sunday that he did not think the negotiations would succeed. He, however, believed that they were “a chance, to de-escalate the situation”.
Zelensky on Monday sent a formal request for Ukraine’s EU membership to Brussels even as the talks between the two nations were going on. Meanwhile, Russia put its nuclear deterrent forces on the highest alert amid the moves by the members of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to send military support to Kyiv.
Putin had ordered his forces to invade Ukraine on February 24, saying Kyiv needed to be “demilitarised” and “denazified” to protect the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, as well as Russia itself. Ukraine and its Western supporters accused Russia of “unprovoked” aggression. The UK, the US, the EU and several other countries have imposed sweeping sanctions targeting not just the Russian economy, but Putin and other senior Russian officials personally.
(With inputs from Reuters)
