The delegations of Russia and Ukraine admitted that the third round of negotiations did not produce the expected results. Both sides will try again soon.
Head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky said the talks in three hours on the Belarus-Poland border on the evening of March 7 is failed.
While the adviser of Ukrainian president Mikhail Podolyak admitted that the negotiation did not bring any positive results to resolve the current situation.
The two countries’ delegations agreed to continue the negotiation but did not announce a schedule for the fourth round of talks.
On the issue of opening humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from conflict zones in Ukraine, the head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky said that this effort will continue to do.
Ukrainian negotiator Podolyak also confirmed that the two sides had agreed to some changes in logistics, making the process of assisting people more efficient, but did not mention specifics.
Medinsky said Russia has brought drafts of the treaty. However, the Ukrainian delegation did not agree with any clause.
The Ukrainian side also confirmed that Russia refused all of their proposals.
Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky said that Russia demanded Ukraine’s neutrality in the future and demilitarization. Russia’s position is “irreversible”.
On the other hand, David Akhramiya, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, claimed Moscow and Kyiv could reach an agreement on all issues “except for the status of Crimea and the Donbass“.
These two regions will separate from Ukraine is “unacceptable”.
Both countries have not set a time or place for the fourth round of talks, but Leonid Slutsky said it will be held in Belarus soon.
After 12 days of launching a military operation in Ukraine, Russian forces took control of the southern city – Kherson and besieged Mariupol in the southeast, and Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian army announced it had recaptured Chuhuiv in the northeast, and Mykolaiv airport in the south. However, these claims have not been verified.
The Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) says at least 406 civilians have died and 801 are injured. The number of people who have to leave Ukraine has reached 1.7 million.
