Zelenskyj applies for EU membership
Peace talks end without a breakthrough
2/28/2022, 6:34 p.m
For the first time both sides in the Ukraine war come together for negotiations. As the fighting continues, talks with aggressor Russia end in vain. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian President is aiming for his country’s admission to the EU.
Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine ended without any tangible result. “We are going back to the capitals for consultations,” Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak told journalists after the meeting on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border. He did not give details. Both sides had identified a number of key issues on which “certain decisions” would need to be made. The meeting lasted more than five hours. The delegation from Ukraine returned to Kyiv in the evening.
According to the Interfax agency, the head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinski, said: “First of all, we agreed to continue the negotiation process. The next meeting will take place in the coming days on the Polish-Belarusian border.” Both sides had agreed on that. Until then, the delegations would consult with their “leaders of the country”. Russian foreign policy chief Leonid Slutsky said Russia wanted to form a position within 24 hours. Then the date and time for the next round of negotiations would be determined.
In a brief statement, Podoljak also underscored Kiev’s goal in the negotiations: “The main goal was to stop the fire on Ukrainian territory and the fighting.” The talks had started at noon with a significant delay. Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makej opened it, as videos from Belarusian state media showed. The talks were held on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border. The fighting continued despite the negotiations.
Selenskyj wants to join the EU
The Russian delegation was led by the Kremlin’s special envoy, Medinsky. Presidential faction leader David Arakhamiya led the Ukrainian side. The delegation from Moscow also included: Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko, Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, the Russian envoy at the negotiations of the so-called Contact Group, Boris Gryzlov, and Leonid Slutsky. In addition to Arakhamiya, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, Presidential Advisor Podoliak, the deputy head of the Ukrainian delegation in the trilateral contact group (Minskkram), Andriy Kostin, MP Rustem Umerov and Deputy Foreign Minister Mykola Tochytskyi traveled to the Ukrainian delegation.
According to his own statements, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a formal request for his country’s admission to the European Union almost at the same time as the end of the negotiations. High-level EU sources said this could be an issue for heads of state and government at an unofficial summit in March.