Hours long negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian delegates ensued on Monday in the first instance that representatives from both sides sat down to talk after Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday.
According to media outlets, the negotiations were expected to yield little results by Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky and the inhabitants of capital city Kyiv. Nevertheless, they offered some hope as the bloody battle continued to wage on Ukrainian soil between the two nations on Saturday. The negotiations took place at a border region near Belarus.
Russia has not elaborated on what it hoped to achieve from the talks, but according to CBS, President Zelensky has called for an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian troops from his country. The delegates were set to return to Moscow and Kyiv to deliberate further internally after negotiations ended Monday evening.
Some hours before the talks, it was reported that the Russia continued to unleash shelling on major Ukrainian cities overnight. Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, was the subject of heavy artillery firing, according to Ukrainian defense officials. The Ukrainian forces had taken Kharkiv back from Russian troops a day ago.
While Kyiv was still enveloped by threats from Russian military, residents were able to emerge from their bomb shelter and houses for the first time since Saturday evening on Monday. The local government had earlier announced a curfew as it feared conflict would escalate in the city.
Earlier, on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had offered Russian President Vladimir Putin to mediate between Russia and Ukraine for negotiations. In a statement, the Kremlin revealed that the two discussed the possible ceasefire, with President Putin stating that the Russian delegation was prepared to negotiate in the Belarusian city of Gomel but Ukraine had refused to talk. The two leaders agreed to stay connected.
Two days before President Putin and PM Bennett’s telephonic conversation, the latter was urged by President Zelensky to broker a ceasefire as Israel enjoyed favorable diplomatic relations with both Russia and Ukraine.
