Ukrainian FM Kuleba advises negotiators to avoid food & drinks during peace talks: Report

Amid the reports of Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich and Ukraine peace negotiators suffered suspected poisoning during the peace talks, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba recommended the negotiators avoid eating or drinking anything during the peace talks. According to The Telegraph UK, Kuleba's statement came during a television interview on Monday where the top government official said, "I advise anyone going for negotiations with Moscow not to eat or drink anything." Further, Kuleba, who is also a member of the National Defense and Security Council of Ukraine, suggested the negotiators avoid touching the surfaces while attending the closed-door meeting.

It is worth mentioning Abramovich, a Russian businessman, philanthropist and oligarch, has been playing a significant role in the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. As per the reports of the Wall Street Journal published on Monday, the negotiators held a meeting in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv on Match 3, after which the diplomats of both Russia and Ukraine suffered symptoms of poisoning. The media report said that the diplomats developed symptoms that included red eyes, constant and painful tearing, and peeling skin on their faces and hands.

Peace talks did not yield any breakthrough yet

The report claimed that the level of poisoning was not intended to be lethal, but rather to send a message to anyone attempting to work against Moscow. The media report suggested that the diplomats might have been poisoned through the water or chocolate that attendees drank and ate during the peace talks earlier this month. Subsequently, the next morning, the report said that Abramovich had travelled to Turkey in order to get treatment. Notably, Ankara is one of the few countries in the region that does not invoke any sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression.

It is worth mentioning the first round of peace talks was initiated on February 28-- merely four days after the Russian forces started a full-fledged war against Ukraine. The peace talks were started with lots of hopes to end the war immediately. However, despite several rounds of negotiations, it does not yield any breakthrough. Notably, another round of talks aimed at stopping the war is underway in Turkey as the fighting looks increasingly like a stalemate on the ground. 

Russia-Ukraine war 

Russia initiated a full-fledged war against Ukraine nearly two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognising the independence of breakaway regions Donetsk and Luhansk. Putin's action came despite the West's repetitive warning and speculations about his ill intention to invade Ukraine. On February 24, the Russian troops started a military operation against Ukraine. Since then, it has been bombarding several cities in Ukraine, resulting in the killing of thousands of civilians. On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to his Russian counterpart to end the war immediately but added that he would not let the Russian forces take a single piece of Ukrainian land. 

Image: AP