As the Russian onslaught against Ukraine entered its eighth day, a Ukrainian delegation arrived in Belarus on Thursday, 3 March for the second round of peace talks with their Russian counterparts.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a member of Ukraine’s delegation said that the parties have reached a tentative agreement to organise safe corridors for civilians to evacuate and for humanitarian supplies to be delivered, news agency AP reported.
Podolyak, who is an adviser to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, added that Russia and Ukraine have reached a preliminary understanding that cease-fires will be observed in areas where the safe corridors are established.
Expressing disappointment with the results, Podolyak said in a tweet, "The second round of negotiations is over. Unfortunately, the results Ukraine needs are not yet achieved. There is a solution only for the organisation of humanitarian corridors..."
On the other hand, Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky claimed the negotiations yielded "substantial progress".
Medinsky said, "The main issue we decided on today was the issue of saving people, civilians, who are in the zone of military clashes... Russia calls on civilians who find themselves in this situation, if military actions continue, to use these humanitarian corridors," DW reported.
Meanwhile, in a tweet, the Foreign Minister of Russia stated, “We hope that they bring about an end to this situation, restore peace in Donbass and enable all people in Ukraine to return to peaceful life."
‘Won’t Allow Ukraine To Preserve a Military Infrastructure’: Russian Foreign Min
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had said that while Moscow was ready for talks, it would continue their attack on the Ukrainian military infrastructure.
"We are ready to conduct talks, but we will continue the operation because we won’t allow Ukraine to preserve a military infrastructure that threatens Russia," AP quoted Lavrov as saying.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron interacted over the phone call, during which Putin indicated that his goals (of demilitarisation of Ukraine) would be achieved at all costs.
Mariupol, Kharkiv Under Attack as Russia Continues Offensive
Russian troops have seized the Ukrainian port city of Kherson, indicated mayor Igor Kolykhayev, who held discussions with the “armed guests” in the city administration on Thursday.
He added that “no promises” were made to the Russians but only requested the troops not to shoot civilians. The mayor of 2,90,000 locals said, “So far so good. The flag flying above us is Ukrainian. And for it to stay that way, these requirements must be met."
The Russian army continues to press ahead with offensives in major urban cities such as Mariupol and Kharkiv, and have already gained control of another key Ukrainian port, Berdiansk.
Russian troops also bombed Kharkiv on Tuesday, 1 March, with a Russian shell striking the Freedom Square in central Kharkiv, which houses local government offices.
(With inputs from Reuters and AP.)
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