Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Russian delegation included officials from the foreign and defense ministries and President Vladimir Putin’s office and was awaiting the arrival of their Ukrainian counterparts in the Belarusian city of Gomel.
A Russian delegation has arrived in Belarus for talks with Ukraine, a Kremlin spokesperson was quoted by the Ifax news agency as saying on Sunday, the first negotiations since Russia started its invasion on February 24, Reuters reported.
Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Russian delegation included officials from the foreign and defense ministries and President Vladimir Putin’s office and was awaiting the arrival of their Ukrainian counterparts in the Belarusian city of Gomel.
The Belarusian foreign ministry said it had prepared everything necessary for the meeting and were now engaged in resolving protocol issues.
Also read: Russia-Ukraine war: Street battles heard as Russian Army enter Kharkiv
This is the first time Russia has come forward to initiate peace talks even as its military demolished key structures in Ukraine, sidelining global requests for diplomacy route. Kyiv has maintained its eagerness for peace talks to end the conflict that has been simmering for over a month now.
Russian troops continued to march in parts of Kyiv in heavy military vehicles on Sunday and captured Ukraine’s second largest city Kharkiv after heavy fighting and destruction to parts of the country.
The troops, rushing to capture Kyiv and topple Zelensky’s regime, destroyed a gas pipeline in Kharkiv earlier in the day.
Also read: Russia-Ukraine war: Russian forces blow up gas pipeline in Kharkiv; two large explosions in Kyiv
Heavy street fighting erupted in Kharkiv, as a string of attacks by Russian troops targeted airfields and fuel facilities in the next stage of their invasion despite global condemnation of Putin’s actions.
An oil depot in Vasylkiv was also damaged in the early hours of Sunday, prompting Ukrainian officials to send their citizens indoors to escape toxic fumes.
A chain of blasts continued to rock the capital city of Kyiv on Sunday afternoon, parallel to the diplomacy talks proposal.
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