Peace talks between a Ukrainian delegation and Russian representatives were underway at the border with Belarus on Monday, with Ukraine demanding an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian forces, the Ukrainian presidency said in a statement.
The delegation, which includes Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and the presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, as well as the deputy foreign minister and other senior officials, arrived at the border via Poland.
Ukrainian officials agreed on Sunday to hold peace talks on the Ukraine-Belarus border, although President Volodymyr Zelensky said he did not believe the negotiations will bear fruit.
Zelensky on Monday asked the European Union to allow Ukraine to gain membership under a special procedure immediately as it defends itself from invasion by Russian forces.
“Our goal is to be with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be equal. I’m sure that’s fair. I am sure we deserve it,” he said in a video speech shared on social media.
He added that 4,500 Russian troops have been killed in battles in Ukraine so far. He added that at least 102 civilians in Ukraine have been killed since Thursday, including 16 children.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia regretted that talks had not started a day earlier. Russian forces ran into stiff resistance elsewhere in Ukraine as Moscow’s diplomatic and economic isolation deepened.
