Russian delegation arrives in Belarus for peace talks, Ukraine President Zelensky rejects

A team of delegates from Moscow arrived in Belarus to begin "first negotiations" with Ukrainian counterparts, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday. The group includes high-ranking officials from foreign, defence ministries and Russian President Vladimir Putin's office. The delegation is currently waiting in the Belarusian city of Gomel and "now waiting for the Ukrainians." Peskov said, as quoted by the Associated Press.

However, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who had initially proposed diplomatic talks with Russia before the latter unleashed "unprovoked" war on its neighbour, refused to sit for talks with Moscow after Russian forces killed over 100 civilians and military personnel in Ukraine on the first day of attacks.

The developments come as Putin on Friday asserted that he is ready to send his representatives to Belarus for talks with Kyiv provided Ukraine "laid down its weapons". Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, which is a strong ally of Moscow had then promised Peskov that he would "create the conditions" for such a summit to take place.

Ukraine President Zelensky rejects Russia's talks offer

Reiterating his stance, Zelensky on Sunday yet again rejected the Russian offer to hold diplomatic talks in Belarus, saying that Minsk itself was "complicit" in the Russian invasion. However, he clarified that Kyiv is ready to engage in discussions "in other locations" if Russia is interested in a fruitful resolution of the conflict.

Russia-Ukraine war

The developments come as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has transpired into war after Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24 unleashed military operations on Ukraine after months of unabated military build-up along the eastern Europe borders of nearly 1,50,000 soldiers. Despite intensifying forces at the eastern borders of Ukraine for over months Putin and his cabinet have repeatedly suggested they pose no threat to Ukraine's sovereignty. However, on February 21, Putin signed a decree unilaterally recognising two breakaway regions of Ukraine as "independent." The decision drew severe flak from world leaders.

So far, at least 198 civilians and military personnel have been killed and over 1,000 injured since Thursday. On the other hand, around 1 lakh people have been forced to be internally displaced as the situation deteriorated. Meanwhile, in swift response to Russia's destabilising actions, the West induced stringent measures prohibiting Moscow-based entities to engage in trade with several countries like the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Japan, and more.

(Image: AP)