Second round of conflict talks after consultations
Officials from Russia and Ukraine ended peace talks on Monday and will return to their respective capitals for further consultations before a second round of negotiations, RIA news agency quoted Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak as saying.
“The delegations are returning to their capitals for consultations and have discussed the possibility of meeting for a second round of negotiations soon,” Podolyak said.
“We agreed to keep the negotiations going,” the Russian delegation head, Vladimir Medinsky said.
The talks between the two sides were aimed at securing an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian forces. They were held on the border with strong Russian ally Belarus, where a referendum on Sunday approved a new constitution ditching the country’s non-nuclear status at a time when the former Soviet republic has become a launch pad for Russian troops invading Ukraine.
Russian-Israeli billionaire Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea FC, was in Belarus assisting in Ukraine-Russia negotiations at the request of Kyiv.
The talks came as Ukraine’s forces fiercely resist the Russian offensive, a day after President Vladimir Putin ordered his defence chiefs to put the country’s nuclear forces on high alert.
Russia’s Central Bank scrambled to shore up the tanking ruble Monday and the US and European countries upped weapons shipments to Ukraine.
Neighboring Belarus could send troops to help Russia as soon as Monday, according to a senior American intelligence official with direct knowledge of current US intelligence assessments.
In addition to sanctions, the US and Germany announced they will send Stinger missiles to Ukraine among other military supplies.
‘No plans to occupy Ukraine’: As tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, while speaking at an emergency session of the UN General Assembly Monday said that Russia has no plans to occupy Ukraine.
“The occupation of Ukraine is not part of our plans. The purpose of this special operation is to protect people who have been subjected to abuse and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years. For this, it is necessary to demilitarise and denazify Ukraine,” Nebenzya said.
Russia uses banned ‘cluster bombs’: Russia appears to have used banned cluster munitions to indiscriminately shell civilian areas in Ukraine’s east that had stood up to Vladimir Putin’s invasion in what would constitute a war crime.
Kharkiv, which has witnessed some of the heaviest fighting of the war so far, was hit by rockets fired from Russian positions on Monday- with video showing a shopping centre in the Serpnia area blanketed by explosions. A military source told MailOnline that the videos showed ‘cluster’ munitions had been used.
Civilians can ‘freely’ leave Kyiv: Russian army said Monday that Ukrainian civilians could “freely” leave the country’s capital Kyiv and claimed its airforce dominated Ukraine’s skies as its invasion entered a fifth day.
“All civilians in the city can freely leave the Ukrainian capital along the Kyiv-Vasylkiv highway. This direction is open and safe,” Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in televised remarks.