The Ukrainian delegation has already left Kiev. We expect them to be here tomorrow morning
said the main Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky during a press briefing broadcast on Russian public television.
The site chosen for the negotiations is located in the region of Bialowieza, a Polish locality close to the border with Belarus, and was chosen together
by both parties, he said.
According to Mr. Medinski, this place is suitable for the Ukrainian delegation in particular because it has to go there via Poland.
The Ukrainian delegation heads to the place of negotiations
confirmed shortly after the press service of the Ukrainian presidency.
These announcements put an end to hours of uncertainty about the holding of this meeting, which the Russian delegation said earlier to be ready to hold on Wednesday.
Today, towards the beginning of the evening, our delegation will be there, we will wait for the Ukrainian negotiators
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the press.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba, for his part, indicated that no date had been agreed, and accused Russia of issuing ultimatums
.
A first round of talks took place on Monday at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, in the Gomel region. It ended without an agreement, the negotiators having withdrawn to consultations
in their respective capitals.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has never hidden his skepticism towards the talks, but said he wanted to show Ukrainians that he was giving peace a chance by sending representatives there.
The first talks took place against a background of bombardments and shooting aimed at our territory […]. The synchronization of the shots with the negotiation process was obvious
he observed on Tuesday.
He also said that Russia needed first stop bombing the population
so that progress can be made in the peace negotiations.
Lavrov calls for a ban on certain weapons in Ukraine
In an interview with Al-Jazeera transcribed on the site of his ministry, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, for his part gave other clues to what Moscow is seeking to obtain through these negotiations.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting with representatives of the breakaway Ukrainian republics of Donetsk and Luhansk on February 25.
Photo: Reuters/Russian Foreign Ministry
He affirms that Russia remains determined to achieve a demilitarization of Ukraine and considers it necessary to draw up a list of armaments which could never be deployed on Ukrainian territory.
Specific types of strike weapons must be identified that will never be deployed in Ukraine and will not be produced
he says according to this transcript.
Mr. Lavrov also said that Russia recognizes Volodymyr Zelensky as the leader of Ukraine and he calledpositive step
the fact that the Ukrainian President wishes to obtain security guarantees.
Volodymyr Zelensky did ask for security guarantees for his country, but his request was addressed to NATO rather than to Russia.
