(Moscow) Ukraine’s presidency said on Sunday that it had agreed to talks with Russia and that they will take place on the border with Belarus, near Chernobyl, a decision after mediation by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Posted at 7:32
Updated at 9:18 a.m.
“The Ukrainian delegation will meet the [délégation] without setting preconditions on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, in the Pripyat River region,” the presidency said on social media.
The nearest town in this area, on the Ukrainian side, is Pripyat, world famous since the accident at the nearby Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986. This locality, which is no longer inhabited, has become a tourist destination in recent years.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told him that the meeting will take place in the Gomel region of Belarus without further details. This region borders, in particular, the area of Pripyat.
The Ukrainian presidency did not specify the date of these talks, but Russia indicated that they would take place on Sunday. According to Vladimir Putin, a Russian delegation is already present in Gomel.
Mr. Putin, who launched his forces on Ukraine on Thursday and called on the Ukrainian army to overthrow power in Kiev, has repeatedly assured that he was in favor of discussions, provided that they are held in Belarus, allied country of Moscow which serves as a rear base for the Russian invasion.
PHOTO SPUTNIK, KREMLIN, VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS
President Vladimir Putin
The Ukrainian government, for its part, had so far expressed its willingness to negotiate in any country outside of Belarus, which is clearly in the camp of Russia.
Mr. Lukashenko assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that “the[Russian]planes, helicopters and missiles deployed on the territory of Belarus would remain on the ground during the arrival, negotiations and departure of the Ukrainian delegation”, said the Ukrainian presidency on Sunday. [russes[déployéssurleterritoiredelaBiélorussieresteraientausolpendantl’arrivéelesnégociationsetledépartdeladélégationukrainienne»adéclarélaprésidenceukrainiennedimanche
The Russian “deterrent force” on alert
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Sunday to put the Russian army’s “deterrent force” on alert, which may include a nuclear component, on the fourth day of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I order the Minister of Defense and the Chief of Staff to put the Russian army’s deterrent forces on special combat alert,” Putin said in a meeting with his colleagues. military leaders broadcast on television.
“It’s understood,” agreed Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Mr. Putin justified this decision by the “bellicose statements of NATO” towards Russia. He also criticized the economic sanctions taken against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, according to him “illegitimate”.
The Russian deterrent forces are a set of units whose purpose is to deter an attack on Russia, “including in the event of war involving the use of nuclear weapons”, according to the Ministry of Defense.
These forces are equipped with missiles, strategic bombers, submarines and surface ships. On the defensive side, they include an anti-missile shield, space control systems, anti-aircraft and anti-satellite defense.