Ukraine’s presidency said on Sunday 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.
“The Ukrainian delegation will meet the Russian (delegation) without setting any 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.
The Ukrainian government, for its part, had so far expressed its willingness to negotiate in any country outside Belarus, which is clearly in the camp of Russia.
Mr Lukashenko assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that “(Russian) planes, helicopters and missiles deployed on the territory of Belarus will remain on the ground during the arrival, negotiations and departure of the Ukrainian delegation”, the presidency said. Ukrainian on Sunday.