According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to send a high-level delegation to Minsk to hold negotiations with Kyiv.
“In response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s request we’re ready to send representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry and presidential administration for negotiations”, he said.
In response to his comments, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Moscow will begin negotiations as soon as the Ukrainian military surrenders its weapons.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated that Minsk will offer the necessary conditions for bilateral discussions. He emphasized the importance of avoiding a full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine on Thursday.
For the discussions to succeed, Lukashenko said Kyiv must refuse to join NATO and end hostilities in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which declared independence from Ukraine in 2014.
The news comes as the Russian military continues to execute a special operation in Ukraine. It was ordered on Thursday by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who stated that he made the decision after the LPR and DPR requested Moscow’s assistance. Both republics have accused Ukraine of shelling their areas. Ukraine has denied that it has carried out any strikes.
During the standoff with Kyiv, the breakaway republics announced the evacuation of civilians to Russia.
President Putin announced the military operation with the goal of protecting citizens of the DPR and LPR from the Ukrainian authorities’ “genocide.”
“To this end, we will seek to demilitarise and de-Nazify Ukraine, as well as bring to trial those who perpetrated numerous bloody crimes against civilians, including against citizens of the Russian Federation”, President Putin said.
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