Ukraine’s delegation in Belarus for talks with Russia, ‘will talk about immediate ceasefire’, says Zelensky

The President’s Office said the key issue of the talks would be an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of troops from Ukraine.

A Ukrainian delegation arrived at Belarusian border for talks with Russian representatives amid military operations, Ukraine's Presidential Office confirmed Monday. The delegation includes David Arakhamia, head of the Servant of the People faction, Oleksiy Reznikov, Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Mykhailo Podoliak, advisor to the Head of the President's Office, Andriy Kostin, First Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group, MP Rustem Umerov, and Deputy Foreign Minister Mykola Tochytskyi, the Ukrainian President’s Office reported on Telegram.

The President’s Office said the key issue of the talks would be an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of troops from Ukraine.

At talks with Russian counterparts in Belarus, the key issue with the Ukrainian delegation will raise is immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Russia's troops from Ukraine, said Volodymyr Zelensky, as per reports.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on February 27 that he had a call with Alexander Lukashenko. After the conversation, it was agreed that the Ukrainian delegation will meet with the Russian delegation without any preconditions on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border near the Prypiat River.

Russia-Ukraine crisis have lasted for 5 days now, and Ukrainian Interior Ministry on Monday said 352 civilians have died in the Russian invasion including 14 children and 1,684 people, including 116 children, have been injured.

Meanwhile, General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has said that Russia has “continued to inflict fire on military and civilian airfields, air defence facilities, critical infrastructure, settlements, units. In violation of International law, Russia launched missiles strike on residential buildings in Zhytomyr, Chernihiv.”

On the other hand, the Russian military has said that residents of the Ukrainian capital can use a safe corridor to leave the city if they want.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said Monday that Kyiv residents can safely use a highway leading to Vasylkiv just southwest of the Ukrainian capital. The statement came as fighting raged in various parts of the Ukrainian capital, with Ukrainian authorities saying that they were fighting small groups of Russian forces in various sectors of the capital, news agency AP reported.