Ukraine agrees to hold talks with Russia in Belarus – Moscow
Earlier, Kiev refused to conduct negotiations on Belarusian territory amid the conflict
Russia said on Sunday that, after some back-and-forth, Ukraine agreed to dispatch a team to Belarus for talks to end the Russian military campaign in the country.
Kiev “confirmed” the planned talks in Gomel Region, which is close to the borders of both Russia and Ukraine, Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky told reporters.
Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin and former culture minister, added that the parties are now deciding on the logistics and the exact location of the summit, with “maximum security” for the Ukrainians.
“We guarantee that the travel route will be 100% safe. We will be waiting for the Ukrainian delegation,” Russian chief negotiator said.
The Russian team arrived in Gomel on Sunday, where it said talks were planned with the Ukrainians. Kiev later said it wanted to negotiate on “neutral ground,” arguing that Russian troops were using Belarusian territory to stage attacks on Ukraine. Minsk, however, denied that its forces were participating in the Russian operation.
Moscow attacked its neighbor this week, arguing that it was defending the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which broke off from the eastern part of Ukraine shortly after the 2014 coup in Kiev. Ukraine said the move was an act of unprovoked aggression.
