Kyiv: Amid the escalation of tension with Russia, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Kyiv is ready for peace talks with Moscow but not in Belarus.
Justifying his assertion, the President said the neighbouring Belarus is being used as a launchpad for the invasion.
President Zelensky in a video message named Warsaw, Bratislava, Istanbul, Budapest or Baku as alternative venues, AP reported.
He said the other locations are also possible but made it clear that Ukraine doesn’t accept Russia’s selection of Belarus.
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Earlier, the Kremlin said that a Russian delegation had arrived in the Belarusian city of Homel for talks with Ukrainian officials.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the delegation includes the military officials and diplomats.
“The Russian delegation is ready for talks, and we are now waiting for the Ukrainians,” AP quoted Peskov as saying.
The development comes as earlier on Thursday Russia invaded Ukraine with the troops moving from Moscow’s ally Belarus in the north and also from the east and south.
Early Sunday, street fighting broke out in Kharkiv as the Russian troops pushed into Ukraine’s second-largest city, as per a regional official, AP reported.
As fighting rages in Kharkiv, the city administration in Kyiv, 400 kilometres to the west, said the capital remained completely under the control of Ukrainian forces despite clashes with “sabotage groups”, AFP reported.
Several countries, including the UK, the US, Canada and the European Union have condemned Russia’s military operations in Ukraine and imposed sanctions on Moscow.