Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to send a delegation to negotiate with Ukraine in Belarus’ capital Minsk, the Kremlin said on Friday.
Minsk has previously been the site of negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, and the Russian-backed breakaway republics of eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made two attempts to re-open talks with Putin. On Wednesday night, hours before Russia launched its offensive on the neighboring countries, he delivered a speech in Russian in which he addressed Putin directly and called for talks.
The government in Kyiv has also aired the idea that Ukraine may be willing to take a neutral stance on the issue of NATO membership in an attempt to meet Russia and end the violence.
“In response to Zelensky’s proposal, Vladimir Putin is ready to send a delegation to Minsk with representatives from the Defense Ministry, the Foreign Ministry, and the Presidential Administration to negotiate with the Ukrainian delegation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
According to the Russian authorities, the leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, is ready to arrange a meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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