Second round of talks between Russia and Ukraine ends in Belarus

The second round of negotiations between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine in Belarus took place in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. As a result of the meeting, the parties agreed to organize humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians in the near future, Ukrainian representative Mykhailo Podolyak said.

At the same time, he noted that Ukraine did not get the results it expected from the meeting with Russia. Nevertheless, the parties agreed on a third round of negotiations.

During a meeting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Kyiv stated that its priority tasks are an early ceasefire, a truce and the opening of humanitarian corridors.

Assistant to the President of Russia Vladimir Medinsky announced the need to evacuate civilians the day before, RIA Novosti reports.

On March 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a telephone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, said that the task of the special military operation would be completed in any case, regardless of the outcome of the negotiations in Belarus.

The Kremlin said that “attempts to gain time by dragging out negotiations will only lead to our negotiating position adding additional demands on Kiev.”

After Putin spoke with Macron, the French president announced that Putin plans to take over all of Ukraine and expects the world community to fulfill his conditions.

“The president of the republic expects the worst is yet to come,” given that nothing Putin said was reassuring. He was determined,” said a Macron administration official.

The French leader suggested that the Russian president avoid civilian casualties and provide humanitarian assistance. Macron’s aide said Putin agreed with his opinion but made no commitments.

But at the same time, the press service of the President of the Russian Federation states that it was Putin who asked Macron to take part in ensuring the safe evacuation of foreign citizens from Ukraine and expressed his readiness to cooperate in this matter.

In addition to Medinsky, Russia at the talks in Belovezhskaya Pushcha is represented by deputy heads of the Ministry of Defense and the Foreign Ministry – Alexander Fomin and Andrei Rudenko, head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky and Russian Ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov. Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov, adviser to the head of the presidential office Mikhail Podolyak, head of the faction of the ruling Servant of the People party David Arakhamia, deputy head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Contact Group on the settlement in Donbass Andrey Kostin, deputy Rustem Umerov and Deputy Foreign Minister came from Ukraine to Belarus for negotiations Nikolay Tochitsky. On March 28, in the area of ​​the Ukrainian-Belarusian state border on the banks of the Pripyat River, the first meeting of the Ukrainian and Russian delegations took place. Immediately after that, they departed for consultations in their capitals.

Source link