Ukraine & Russia's Talks at Belarus Border End; Second Round After Consultations

Monday's round of talks was held at the Rumyantsev-Paskevich residence in Gomel, Belarus.

Russia-Ukraine talks begin on Belarus border, as Ukraine demands an "immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian troops."

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Belarus MFA)

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine entered its fifth day, on Monday, 28 February, talks were held on the border of Belarus between officials from the two countries.

The talks reportedly lasted for five hours and led to "some points of contact from which common positions could be built on", Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation, said, according to Sputnik.

The meeting reportedly ended with the agreement to continue negotiations, which will take place in the coming days on the Polish-Belarusian border. In the interim, both sides will return to their capitals for consultations.

"Until then, each delegation - the leadership of each delegations will consult on each of the negotiating positions with the leadership of their respective country," he added, according to the report.

Ukraine on Monday had called for an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian forces.

Monday's Peace Talks at Belarus Border

After initial reluctance to send a delegation to Belarus, given the country's role in facilitating Russia's invasion, Ukraine had agreed to hold talks at the Belarus border, near the Chernobyl exclusion zone. The decision was made after a phone call between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, reported AFP.

The meeting was accordingly held at the Rumyantsev-Paskevich residence in Gomel, Belarus. The delegation comprised Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov and presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, among others.

"Dear friends, the president of Belarus has asked me to welcome you and facilitate your work as much as possible," Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei reportedly said at the beginning of the meet.

Medinksy, who is also an aide to Putin, had earlier said that they wanted to reach some agreements as soon as possible.

"As every hour of conflict brings new casualties among Ukrainian soldiers, we are definitely interested in reaching any agreements as soon as possible... But those agreements should be for the benefit of both sides."

Vladimir Medinsky

However, Ukraine had said that it has little hope from the outcome of the meet at the Belarusian border.

"I do not really believe in the result of this meeting, but let them try, so that no citizen of Ukraine would have any doubt that I, as president, did not try to stop the war when there was even a small chance," Zelenskyy had said earlier.

Russia's defence ministry on Monday, 28 February, said that its nuclear missile forces, and northern and Pacific fleets are on enhanced combat duty, the Interfax news agency reported. This was in accordance with President Putin's order a day ago.

The same day, dozens of people were killed after Russian forces carried out rocket strikes on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian interior ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko said.

(With inputs from ABC News, Sputnik and CNN.)