Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked son Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to “stop this war” on Thursday night, stressing need for two leaders to speak without preconditions while second round of negotiations between the parties are continuing.
Moscow and Kiev have started a second round of talks in western Belarus earlier on the same day, just hours after Putin reiterated the demands of son country in a telephone conversation with son French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.
The talks take place in West Belarus, with the Russian delegation led by Presidential Advisor Vladimir Medinsky and son Ukrainian counterpart led by David Arachamija, the head of The decision of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy party.
Both parties agreed on Brest region in western Belarus as a place for talks and russian military planned a “safety corridor” for allow the passage of the Ukrainian delegation.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has urged Russia to declare a ceasefire in the hard-hit eastern regions of Kharkiv and Sumy to allow civilians to achieve safety.
the first negotiations on Monday at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border did not bring anything tangible results. Russian attacks continued to hit Ukraine and several explosions were recorded in Kyiv early Thursday, the eighth day of the invasiontriggering air raid sirens.
In a phone call with Macron and Putin reiterated Russia’s position call for demilitarization of Ukraine, as well as its inability for join NATO military Alliance.
At the same time, the Kremlin threatened: “Try to gain time by dragging out negotiations will only lead to additional requests on Kyiv in our negotiating position.
Meanwhile, pro-Russian separatists ‘tightened their circle’ around the important strategy city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense in Moscow said on Thursday.
Igor Konashenkov claimed that the forces took control of Three more communities in the area around Mariupol, according to the Russians news agencies. They also would have took over the city of Balakleya, southeast of the city of Kharkiv.
These claims could not be independently verified.
The people of Mariupol had had the opportunity to head east towards the areas controlled by the separatists the day before.
Konashenkov again said Russia was “taking steps to ensure Security of civilians”, despite growing reports of missile strikes on urban residential areas across Ukraine.
the defense official said civilians could leave the besieged village of Borodyanka “through a specially designated corridor”. The offer is considered a harbinger of a grand Russian attack.
There is an airfield near Borodyanka.
According to the Russians, 62 Ukrainian planes, 53 drones and more more than 600 tanks and armored vehicles vehicles have been destroyed since invasion has begun last week, as well as a total of 1,612 military objects.
Konashenkov did not give any information on losses suffered by the Russians side. On Wednesday, Moscow said that 498 Russians soldiers Was killed. Kiev says Russian losses are a lot higher.
the news comes several days after Putin ordered the place the country’s deterrent weapons on special alert.
However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected the countries’ alarm over a possible nuclear escalation as “alarmist”.
“Everyone knows that a third world war can only be a nuclear war one”, Lavrov said. “I assure you that we are not going allow provocations that make us lose our balance.”
Also on On Thursday, the German Ministry of Economics approved the delivery of 2,700 anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine, a radical political change after a long-standing export ban on arms to Ukraine.
