Peace Talks Under Way in Belarus as Russian Advance Continues

Peace negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian officials commenced early Monday morning on the Ukraine-Belarus border as the Russian military continues its offensive.

Ukraine said its objective for the talks, which it agreed to “without preconditions,” are an “immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian troops,” the office of President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Sunday. Ukraine’s delegation includes Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov and several high-ranking officials but not Zelensky.

Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said Russia wants to come to an agreement that serves both parties.

The Ukrainian delegation invited Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, the owner of the Chelsea Football Club in the United Kingdom, to help achieve a peaceful resolution, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Zelensky had previously rejected Belarus as a location for a peace meeting, protesting that it was not neutral territory, given that it’s become a launchpad for Russia’s military operations.

“Warsaw, Bratislava, Budapest, Istanbul, Baku — we proposed all that to the Russian side. Any other city would work for us, too, in a country from whose territory rockets are not being fired,” Zelensky said in a video address.