New Delhi: The Russian delegation’s deadline for a response from Kyiv on talks in Gomel has just ended.
The deadline was set for 12:00 GMT. The Russian delegation arrived in Belarus and was waiting for confirmation from Ukrainians on whether they would attend the talks.
The Kremlin said that Kyiv chose the Belarusian city of Gomel. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Kyiv initially agreed to Russia’s conditions and then refused.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has moved the International Court of Justice in The Hague over the Russian military operation that started in Ukraine on Thursday (local time) and urged the top court to order Russia to cease “hostilities”.
Taking to Twitter, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, “Ukraine has submitted its application against Russia to the ICJ. Russia must be held accountable for manipulating the notion of genocide to justify aggression. We request an urgent decision ordering Russia to cease military activity now and expect trials to start next week.”
“Ukraine has officially filed a lawsuit against Russia in the UN International Court of Justice in The Hague. We demand that Russia be held accountable for distorting the concept of genocide to justify aggression. We ask the court to immediately order Russia to cease hostilities and schedule a hearing next week,” he added.
Amid ongoing tensions between Moscow and Kyiv, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and said that Russia must be isolated diplomatically and financially.
Earlier, he also spoke with President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili and Prime Minister of Czech Republic Petr Fiala about the current situation.
Notably, Zelenskyy, in a phone conversation, thanked Andrzej Duda, President of Poland for his personal leadership in granting Ukraine membership in the EU.
In a tweet, Zelensky also said that he had thanked the Pope for his prayers, adding that “the Ukrainian people feel the spiritual support of His Holiness.”
In the early hours on Thursday, Russia launched a special military operation in the Donbas region after recognition of Ukraine’s breakaway regions – Donetsk and Luhansk – as independent identities.
The Western countries have strongly condemned the Russian military operation and boosted the sanctions pressure on Moscow.
