Russian President Vladimir Putin is prepared to send a Russian team to the Belarusian city of Minsk for talks with Ukraine, as per Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Representatives from the Russian Defense Ministry, Foreign Ministry, and Presidential Administration will make up the Russian delegation, he added. According to the Xinhua news agency, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in a televised speech earlier on Friday that he wants to hold talks with Russia over its military action.
The objective of Russia’s operation, according to the Kremlin spokesman, is to “assist the ‘Luhansk People’s Republic’ and the ‘Donetsk People’s Republic,’ including by demilitarising and denazifying Ukraine, which is an important component of the problem for Ukraine’s neutral status.”
In a phone discussion with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, Putin confirmed talks in Minsk. Putin told Sputnik News Agency, “Russia is ready to engage with Ukraine at a high level.” Meanwhile, the Chinese President, Xi Jinping stated that Beijing backed a peaceful resolution of the crisis between Russia and Ukraine through discussion.
Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, said during a press conference that his nation has no plans to occupy Ukraine and that Moscow is ready to begin discussions as soon as Ukrainian soldiers “laid down their guns.” According to Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov, Russian soldiers have blockaded the Ukrainian capital of Kiev from the west and are continuing to undertake duties in the territories of neighbouring towns.
