Kiev delegation headed to Belarus via Poland, for talks with Russia

Minsk [Belarus]: A Ukrainian delegation that is expected to hold talks with Russia is headed to Belarus via Poland and the meeting is expected to start on Monday morning, a source close to the organizers of the talks told Sputnik.

“The talks will be held on Monday morning due to the fact that fearing for their lives, the Ukrainian delegation did not take the direct route, through Gomel, but will enter [Belarus] through Poland, at the ‘Warsaw Bridge’ checkpoint. They are taking a huge detour,” the source said on Sunday.

Earlier on Sunday, the head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, said that Kiev had agreed to hold talks with Russia in Belarus. Belta reported that the two delegations will meet in the Gomel region, at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the Russian delegation is already prepared for the talks and is waiting for their Ukrainian counterparts to arrive, following a phone call between Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Nations Sergiy Kyslytsya told reporters on Sunday that Kiev “will not surrender” and expects the upcoming talks with Russia to result in a Russian troop withdrawal from Ukraine.