Russia-Ukraine war: Kyiv rejects negotiation offer over location tussle, says Moscow

Russia's presidential office on Saturday, February 26, said that all prospects for potential peace talks between Moscow and Ukraine have stalled as Kyiv h declined to negotiate, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. Russian President Vlimir Putin h earlier anunced via Kremlin that Russia is rey to send a delegation to Minsk for a dialogue with Ukraine. However, it was reported that talks h appeared uncertain due to apparent differences over venue in Belarus, a Moscow ally that poses threat to Ukrainian delegation's security. prospects of talks developed as Russian military encircled Kyiv during third day of assault. 

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy h said that he was rey to discuss NATO’s ambitions and Ukraine’s “neutrality” with Russia. Kremlin said that it took te of Zelenskyy’s offer and h later anunced that it is rey to dispatch a delegation to Belarus. Meanwhile, China’s foreign ministry said at a conference that Russian leer Putin h told Chinese leer Xi Jinping in a telephonic conversation that “Russia is rey for high-level talks with Ukraine.”

Ukraine expresses reluctance on meeting in Belarus, suggests NATO nation Poland 

“Vlimir Putin is rey to send a Russian delegation to Minsk in response to Zelenskyy’s proposal,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov h said. Defense Ministry, Foreign Ministry, and Presidential ministration officials will be among delegation, Russia’s Interfax h quoted him as saying. Russian President Vlimir Putin h also briefly ordered Russian troops to halt ir vancement on Friday, Kremlin stated.

Ukrainian officials h expressed reluctance about a meeting in Belarus and h inste suggested that it would like to meet in Poland, a NATO member where United States has ordered heavy deployment of troops. However, pushing Kyiv to attend a meeting in Minsk, Peskov h said that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close Russian ally, has welcomed opportunity to host Russia-Ukraine talks. Russia also reminded that Minsk was previously key location of negotiations for eastern Ukraine ceasefire in 2014 and 2015 when two sides signed Minsk Agreement. “This, in fact, is an integral component of [Ukraine’s] neutral status,” Peskov told reporters at a press conference.