Russia-Ukraine latest: Putin and Zelensky begin negotiations as fighting in Kyiv and Kharkiv continues
A high-level Russian delegation arrives in Belarus to conduct negotiations with Ukraine, and the Ukrainian president refuses to conduct negotiations in Belarus and claims that it is participating in hostilities against Kyiv.
The Russian presidential spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, announced today, Sunday, that the Russian delegation has arrived in Belarus to conduct negotiations with Ukraine.
"The Russian delegation has arrived in Belarus to hold negotiations with Ukraine," Peskov told reporters, adding: "The Russian delegation consists of representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense and other departments, including the presidency."
"These negotiations will take place in the city of Gomel," Peskov added.
The Kremlin said on Sunday that it had warned Ukraine that the Russian military operation would not be suspended during any possible talks, the Interfax news agency quoted the Kremlin as saying on Sunday.
Zelensky refuses to negotiate in Belarus
In turn, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky announced that he refuses to negotiate in Belarus and considers that "Minsk is participating in hostilities against Kyiv."
In a video clip, Zelensky expressed his openness to dialogue in other places that "do not show aggression towards Ukraine, such as Warsaw, Budapest, and Istanbul," saying, "Talks in Minsk could have been held in Russia had not attacked Ukraine from the territory of Belarus."
Ukrainian presidential spokesman Sergei Nikiforov said that his country's representatives will not attend the upcoming negotiations in Gomel, noting that Ukraine is ready for negotiations, but it refuses to dictate preconditions.
He added that despite previous agreements with Russia on the venue of the meeting, Kyiv would not go to negotiations in Belarus and was ready for dialogue only on "neutral ground".
For his part, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday that the authorities in Kyiv had chosen the Belarusian city of Gomel as the venue for the talks.
Peskov explained that the Russian delegation is in talks with the Ukrainian side in the Belarusian city of Gomel, headed by Assistant to the President of Russian President Vladimir Medinsky.
In turn, Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation to the upcoming negotiations with Ukraine in the Belarusian city of Gomel, announced that he will wait for the Ukrainian delegation to arrive until three o'clock (local time) this afternoon only.
Al-Mayadin’s envoy to Crimea stated that negotiations will take place with the wide political spectrum in Ukraine if they do not take place with Zelensky, pointing out that negotiations are excluded in the near period unless Ukraine accepts negotiations in Gomel. He stressed that "the word is now in the field."
On Thursday morning, February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a Russian military operation in the Donbas region, after the Donetsk and Lugansk republics requested help to defend themselves from the intense attacks of Ukrainian forces.
Today, the Russian Ministry of Defense indicated that its forces have so far destroyed 975 facilities of the Ukrainian military infrastructure.
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