Russia vs Ukraine: Putin ready to negotiate, set to send delegation

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia has finally expressed readiness to negotiate with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Putin said he is ready to send Russian delegations to the Belarusian capital of Minsk to talk with Ukraine.

The Cable News Network reported that Putin’s decision follows a request made by Zelenskyy.

A statement by Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said: “Following Zelensky’s proposal to discuss the neutral status of Ukraine, Putin can send representatives of the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign Ministry and his administration to negotiations with the Ukrainian delegation.”

The statement said Minsk was chosen as the venue for the proposed talk. Russia has been attacking some towns in Ukraine since Thursday.

TopNaija recalls that as Russian troops closed in on Kyiv on Friday, Zelensky issued a new statement urging talks.

“I would like to address the President of the Russian Federation once again. Fighting is going on all over Ukraine. Let’s sit down at the negotiating table to stop the deaths of people,” he said.

Putin announced the start of a military operation against Ukraine in the hourly hours of Thursday when Moscow was asleep.

He did so after recognising two pro-Moscow separatist republics in eastern Ukraine as independent.

The West has imposed a barrage of international sanctions on Moscow in response, but Ukraine has said it should do more.