MINSK, 21 April (BelTA) – Russia insists on getting Belarus involved as a party to future agreements with Ukraine and as a guarantor state, TASS quoted Director of the Second CIS Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Aleksei Polishchuk as saying.
Aleksei Polishchuk said: “Moscow does not simply allow Minsk's participation in the agreement. We plainly insist on including the Republic of Belarus in the capacity of a participant of future arrangements and a guarantor state. It will allow securing balance inside the ‘club' of such countries.”
The official said: “Certainly, all of it has been discussed with Belarusian friends who, as I've already said, are helping with negotiations, providing their platform for them.”
Russia-Ukraine talks have been going on since 28 February. Moscow's delegation is led by President's Aide Vladimir Medinsky. Several meetings took place in Belarus. The sides continued communicating using videoconference solutions after that. An offline meeting took place in Istanbul, Turkey on 29 March. On 12 April President of Russia Vladimir Putin told reporters that Kiev had sent this process into a dead end by walking away from the arrangements secured during the talks in Turkey.
