While hostilities are underway in Ukraine, Belarus has held a second round of talks between Russia and Ukraine. The place is symbolic - Belovezhskaya Pushcha, near the Belarusian-Polish border, where in 1991 an agreement was signed to dissolve the Soviet Union. A humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of civilians has been agreed to open today, a source in the Ukrainian delegation was quoted as saying by Reuters.

The key issues for the Ukrainian side are: “Immediate ceasefire and humanitarian corridors for evacuation of civilians from the constantly shelled towns and villages.” This was announced before the start of the talks by the head of the delegation Mihailo Podoliak.

The Russian delegation arrived with a three-part proposal concerning, in the words of its head, Vladimir Medinsky, “the military-technical, humanitarian-international and political aspects”. The Ukrainian delegation did not achieve the results it had hoped for, Reuters reports. However, a third round of talks has been agreed.

Earlier today, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said his country would not back down from principled positions such as its territorial integrity. His Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, said action would continue until the goal of demilitarizing Ukraine is met.

/BNT

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