After initially demanding harsh preconditions for talks, Russia agreed to send a delegation to meet with representatives from Ukraine without preconditions. The meeting is set to commence at noon local time, at the border between Belarus and Ukraine, near the Pripyat River.
The Ukrainian negotiating team has already arrived at the location decided upon. The delegation includes Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov and presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, as well as several others.
According to a statement from the Ukrainian presidency, talks will focus on achieving an immediate ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky has stated that Russia is interested in coming to a mutually beneficial agreement, according to accounts.
On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy consented to send a delegation for talks with Russia on the border of Belarus despite that country's open support of Russian President Putin, demonstrated by its willingness to host Russian bases on its territory.
Zelenskiy nonetheless expressed pessimism regarding the outcome, saying, “Let them try so that later not a single citizen of Ukraine will have any doubt that I, as President, tried to stop the war.”