Second round of Russia-Ukraine talks underway in Belarus
Mar 03, 2022
Minsk [Belarus], March 3 : Second round of talks between Russia and Ukraine over the crisis in Ukraine began in Belarus on Thursday, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus.
Taking to Twitter, Belarus MFA said, "Second round of Russia-Ukraine talks kicks off in Belarus." According to Sputnik, the Ukrainian delegation flew to the meeting point from Poland by helicopter.
Ukraine's Dzerkalo Tyzhnia newspaper Tuesday, citing Ukrainian diplomatic sources said that during the first round on Monday, the Russian delegation conveyed Moscow's demand to enshrine Ukraine's non-bloc status at the parliamentary level and hold a referendum.
Among other conditions reportedly voiced by Moscow was Kyiv's recognition of the Luhansk and Donetsk people's republics within the borders of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, as well as the 'denazification' of Ukraine.
During the first talks, Russia and Ukraine identified some priority topics on which they have outlined certain decisions, adviser to the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office said after the talks.
Head of Russian delegation after talks said "we found issues where we can expect to agree."
The Russian delegation, in the first talks, was headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office said the key "issue of the negotiations is an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of troops from the territory of Ukraine," reported Sputnik.