Talks between Ukraine and Russia have begun, the foreign ministries of both countries have confirmed.
Gatekeepers News reports that Ukraine’s delegation includes several high-ranking officials, but not its president, Volodymyr Zelenski.
Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky has said Russia wants to reach an agreement that was in the interests of both sides.
The office of President Zelenskiy said Ukraine had agreed to talks with Russia “without preconditions.”
“The key issue of the talks is an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of troops from Ukraine,” Zelensky’s office said in a statement.
The talks come as Ukrainian forces in Kyiv, the country’s capital city, held off Russian attacks that were ordered by President Vladimir Putin last week.
This is a developing story.
