• Sunday, December 29, 2024
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Ukraine, Russia prepare for fresh round of peace talks Monday

Ukraine, Russia prepare for fresh round of peace talks Monday

Russia and Ukraine traded blame for failing to adhere to the agreed ceasefire.

Ukraine and Russia are expected to meet for a third round of negotiations, which both sides had said could take place on Monday.

The location and exact time of the talks is not mentioned yet.

Delegations from both nations last met in the Brest region in western Belarus for two rounds of peace talks and agreed to have humanitarian corridors in place in the embattled cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha to facilitate the evacuation of civilians.

However, the attempt to evacuate Mariupol failed on Sunday, according to the Kremlin and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Russia and Ukraine traded blame for failing to adhere to the agreed ceasefire.

David Arachamija, head of the Ukrainian delegation for talks with Russia, rejected Russia’s core demands as “not acceptable” in an interview with Fox News.

“I would not say we are moving fast because we have a lot of people killed every day, especially civilians,” Arachamija said when asked about the progress of the negotiations.

Read also: Russia may reduce Ukrainians’ access to news – UK intelligence

“It’s tough, honestly, but we are still demonstrating some progress. At least, two groups are listening to each other and actively discussing different things.”

Arachamija added that the only parts which are almost impossible to agree on are Crimea and so-called republics that Russia insists that we recognise as independent.

“This is not acceptable within Ukrainian society,” he said.

He revealed that Russia demands that the Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed in 2014, be recognised as Russian territory.

In addition, he said Russia wants the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, controlled by pro-Russian separatists, recognised as independent states.

Moscow also calls for a complete “demilitarization” of Ukraine.

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