President Vladimir Putin is ready to send a delegation to Minsk, Belarus, for talks with the Ukraine he invaded, his spokesman said on Friday, according to Russian agencies.
“Vladimir Putin is willing to send a Russian delegation to Minsk at the level of the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs and of the presidential administration for negotiations with a Ukrainian delegation,” said Dmitry Peskov.
Minsk is the capital of Belarus which allowed Russia to use its territory for invasion, including forces currently heading towards Kiev.
The Kremlin has consistently refused talks with Ukraine, despite repeated requests from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before the Russian invasion began on Thursday.
The Ukrainian president had even said a few hours before the start of the Russian military campaign that he had tried in vain to reach Mr. Putin.
On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov assured that the objective of the Russian invasion of Ukraine was to “liberate” the Ukrainians “from oppression”, suggesting that Moscow intended to overthrow the power in place.
He added that Russia was ready for negotiations if Ukraine “lays down its arms”.
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