Ukraine has agreed to hold peace talks with Russia “without preconditions,” according to multiple reports. Sunday’s announcement of peace talks was reportedly made by the office of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the fourth day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow will occur on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, near the Pripyat River, according to Sky News. A precise time for the meeting was not provided.
“The announcement came hours after Russia announced that its delegation had flown to Belarus to await talks,” the Associated Press reported.
The statement from Zelenskyy’s office noted that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is involved with the peace talks.
“Alexander Lukashenko has taken responsibility for ensuring that all planes, helicopters, and missiles stationed on Belarus territory remain on the ground during the Ukrainian delegation’s travel, talks and return,” said the statement from Zelenskyy’s office, according to the Financial Times.
Previously, Zelenskyy had refused to attend peace talks in Belarus. The Ukrainian president argued that Belarus was not a neutral territory since Russia has a large contingent of troops in the country and it was one of the launch places for the Russian invasion.
Ukraine has surprised many by holding back much of Vladimir Putin’s military forces at the beginning of the war.
This is a developing story, and more details will be provided when available.