 The Russian-Ukrainian talks in Belarus's Gomel region. (photo: TASS) |
Russia and Ukraine on Monday held direct negotiations in Belarus to seek an end to the fighting. The talk was a major effort to promote a political solution to the conflict.
Belarus talks held
The Russian-Ukrainian talks in Belarus’s Gomel region, a few kilometers from the border with Ukraine, were the first direct meeting between the two sides since Russia launched a “special military operation” in Ukraine on February 24th. The talks took place while Russia was accelerating military actions in Ukraine, targeting many cities, including Kyiv. Fierce clashes have been reported in several regions, and increasing casualties. One day before the talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin put Russia’s nuclear strategic force on high alert.
Responding to Russia’s military actions, Western countries have imposed unprecedented sanctions on Moscow, including freezing President Putin’s overseas assets, suspending the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Europe, and removing several Russian banks from the SWIFT global interbank messaging system. The EU has banned flights to Russia, and Ukraine has filed a lawsuit against Russia at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. NATO has been deploying troops and weapons to its eastern areas and beefing up arms supply to Ukraine. The EU last Sunday announced 500 million USD worth of military aid for Ukraine.
The talks in Belarus on February 28th failed to end the fighting, but the parties agreed to continue negotiations. The next meeting will take place soon on the Polish-Belarus border.
 The Ukrainian delegation arrives at the talks venue (photo: TASS) |
International community wants the fighting to end
The UN General Assembly convened an emergency meeting Monday on the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on both sides to end the fighting, organize negotiations, and guarantee safety for the people.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin urged all parties to the Ukraine conflict to deescalate and exercise restraint. He said Beijing supports all effort to deescalate the situation and resolve the political crisis.
Pope Francis delivered a special speech from the Vatican on Sunday to appeal for an end to the fighting and a resumption of peace in Ukraine. He urged people worldwide to pray for peace on March 2.
“Stop the fighting” and “Stability in Ukraine” are slogans appearing at demonstrations in the US and Europe. Many politicians and scholars, who have participated in and supported the demonstrations, say dialogue and diplomatic negotiations are the way to end the fighting and resolve the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.