Talks between Ukraine and Russia have started, says Ukraine presidential advisor
Russia is interested in coming to an agreement that is in the interests of both sides at talks with Ukraine, Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said on Monday, as officials prepare to meet near the border.
Medinsky said talks were expected to begin at 12 p.m. local time (0900 GMT).
As Western governments mustered more support for sanctions against Moscow, diplomatic manoeuvring continued with the Vatican joining efforts to end the conflict by offering to "facilitate dialogue" between Russia and Ukraine.
Belarus says it has prepared a venue to host talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations, as fighting expands to more areas on the fifth day of Russia’s military operation.
Kiev agreed to send diplomats to a location near the Ukrainian-Belarusian border as fighting expands to more areas on the fifth day of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.
"The venue for talks between Russia and Ukraine in Belarus has been prepared, the arrival of delegations is expected," the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said.
"The talks will start as soon as all the delegations arrive at the meeting point," the ministry added.
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian delegation arrived at the border with Belarus for talks on Monday with Russian representatives that will focus on achieving an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian forces, the Ukrainian presidency said in a statement.
The delegation includes Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak among others, it said.
Meanwhile, NATO has escalated its war of words against Russia since Thursday, when President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” aimed at “demilitarization” of the Donetsk and Lugansk Republics in eastern Ukraine.
The regions broke away from Ukraine in 2014 after refusing to recognize a Western-backed Ukrainian government that had overthrown a democratically-elected Russia-friendly administration.
More than 14,000 people have been killed so far across the regions as a result of the conflict that ensued between the Ukrainian military and the pro-Russian separatists.
Announcing the operation, Putin said the mission was aimed at “defending people who for eight years are suffering persecution and genocide by the Kiev regime.”
[This story is being updated.]
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