Moscow: The spokesman for the Russian Presidency, Dmitri Peskov, reported that the fourth round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to end the conflict between the two countries will take place today in videoconference format, Prensa Latina publishes.
The day before, the head of the Kremlin press service denied media reports, citing sources in Kiev, about holding consultations this Sunday.
As of Monday, the Russian and Ukrainian delegations have held three meetings in Belarus since the start of the Russian military operation on Ukrainian territory on February 24.
The last meeting was on March 7, when the parties agreed that no significant results were obtained, although logistical issues were agreed for the operation of the humanitarian corridors and the ceasefire during the evacuation.
The third round of negotiations did not give results that favor the solution of the political and military conflict between the two countries, said then the adviser to the Ukrainian presidential office, Mikhail Podoliak.
“To date, there are no results that significantly improve the situation,” the head of the Kiev delegation to the negotiations said in a video posted on his Twitter account.
At the end of the meeting in the Bialowieza nature reserve in Belarus, Podoliak acknowledged that, however, progress had been made to improve the organization of humanitarian corridors.
For his part, the head of the Russian delegation and presidential adviser, Vladimir Medinski, indicated that Moscow expected to sign at least one protocol in the talks on Monday, but clarified that nothing was signed.
“We arrived with a large set of written documents, with agreements, projects and concrete proposals, we hoped that today it would be possible to sign at least a protocol on those points that it seems that we had already agreed on in principle,” he said.
That day, Peskov told the Reuters news agency that Moscow could stop its war operation in Ukraine “instantly” if Kiev accepts its conditions.
Among them he cited the demilitarization of the country, constitutional guarantees of neutrality, recognition of the Donbass republics and Russian sovereignty over Crimea.
Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the authorities of the self-proclaimed people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk requested its help to repel the increase in aggression from Kiev.
Previously, Moscow recognized the independence and sovereignty of both territories and signed treaties of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with their leaders, which included the establishment of diplomatic relations and military aid.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a speech to inform about the start of the operation, stated that the objective is to protect the population of Donbass from the abuses and genocide of Kiev during the last eight years, in addition to demilitarizing Ukraine.