MINSK, 2 March (BelTA) – The first round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks took place in Gomel Oblast on the Pripyat River, not far from Belarus' border with Ukraine on 28 February. The talks lasted five hours. The parties outlined a number of priority themes where some decisions could be made and left for the capital cities for consultations. It became known that another round of talks could take place at the Poland-Belarus border in the coming days.
Organizational matters
Initially the delegations of Russia and Ukraine were supposed to meet in Gomel on 27 February. The Russian delegation arrived there. Yet, after a telephone conversation between Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the talks were relocated to the banks of the Pripyat River. The exact location was not disclosed for security reasons, it was only known that the venue is called ‘a fisherman's house'.
Commenting on the telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart, Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “It was a difficult conversation. He viewed us as an aggressor. But in the end we reached an agreement. And I told him: the Russian delegation is waiting for you in Gomel. Come here. You are at war. Stop rejecting it, because they will put all the blame on you”.
Delegations at Russia-Ukraine talks
At the talks the Russian delegation was headed by Aide to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky. It also included Deputy Defense Minister, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky and Russian Ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov. The Ukrainian delegation included Deputy Foreign Minister Mykola Tochytskyi, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, Adviser to the Head of the President's Office Mykhailo Podolyak, Head of the Servant of the People faction David Arakhamia, MP Rustem Umerov and First Deputy Head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group Andriy Kostin.
Mykhailo Podolyak said: “The main purpose of the talks was to discuss matters concerning ceasefire and the cessation of armed hostilities in Ukraine's territory. The sides have determined a number of priority topics where certain solutions have been sketched out.”
Aide to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky said: “We've found some contact points, using which one can forecast common positions.”
According to Chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the State Duma of Russia Leonid Slutsky, it was important that the sides heard each other. “The Ukrainian delegation was ready to listen and participate in the most thorough discussion of the essence of the issues. It is extremely important. The next few days will show how the things will continue,” Leonid Slutsky added.
The negotiators did more than possible
The head of state stressed that Belarus is doing everything the country can do to help the conflicting sides find contact points in their views and stop bloodshed. “We, Belarusians are ready to talk to anyone at any time more than anyone else, create a thin thread of mutual trust for the sake of one goal – peace in the region,” he stated.
Aleksandr Lukashenko noted: “The negotiators did great, just great. They did more than possible. They did their work brilliantly in the initial stage over the course of five hours.”
The president remarked there had been doubts about the effectiveness of the talks the day before, however, the negotiators on both sides managed to find contact points. “Nobody – neither Zelenskyy, nor Putin nor even more so I – had ever expected that they would determine topics for negotiations, issues, and find contact points. What does it mean plainly speaking? It means that there are negotiation options but they have to be agreed with the leadership of Russia and Ukraine, which is what the negotiators are doing now,” the Belarusian leader noted.
In his words, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky demonstrated excellent negotiation skills. He turned out to be more professional than many diplomats or military. “I should mention the highest professionalism of Ukrainians and Russians during the talks. It inspires certain confidence that the negotiations may end the war. But trust me everything depends on the Ukrainian side. If they don't listen to what Americans and the West feed them, the war will stop,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
Belarus is ready to take part in Russia-Ukraine talks if needed
Belarus is ready to take part in the negotiations if needed, Press Secretary of the Belarus President Natalya Eismont said when asked whether Belarus was taking part in the Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Gomel Oblast or was just hosting the talks.
Vladimir Makei told reporters on 28 February: “The Belarusian president has been monitoring the process and asking about its progress since the very start. Certainly, all the Belarusians are interested in seeing a concrete result. The Belarusian side does not dodge responsibility as some sources are trying to say. We are ready to make our own contribution to the resolution of the crisis. And we are ready to participate in the relevant process if it is acceptable and if we are asked to in order to secure a positive result.”
Why the next round of talks is to be held at Belarus-Poland border
The Belarusian side did everything to ensure the security of the negotiators. It was a direct order from the Belarusian head of state. “In the end, everything worked out, everything was organized quite well. And when the Ukrainian and Russian delegations were leaving, they expressed their deep gratitude to the Belarusian side for arranging this process,” Vladimir Makei said.
It was not explained why it was decided to relocate negotiations from the Pripyat to another place. Yet, it can be assumed that logistical issues and, possibly, security considerations on the Ukrainian side play a role here.
Aleksandr Lukashenko shared some details of the organizational process: “Unfortunately, it took them more than a day to come here. We guaranteed complete safety and security. I contacted the president of Russia. I reached an agreement with the defense minister of the Russian Federation, our military got involved. A corridor from Kiev to Gomel was provided. I was to pick them up there by helicopters. They did not agree to it. They opted to travel ‘through America, through Germany' to Belarus. Through Lvov to Poland. I got a call where they said that they would not come unless I let them arrive in Brest on board a NATO helicopter. Well, I had to allow the Poles to cross the state border and take them to the Brest airport, and from there our helicopters took them to the ‘holiday camp'.”
When and under what conditions Putin and Zelenskyy can meet
According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, Russian-Ukrainian negotiation process may go as far as a meeting of President of Russia Vladimir Putin and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, it is necessary to work on key issues in advance in order to make the meeting possible.
Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked the two heads of state should be given proper credit for their personal stance on the negotiations. The Russia-Ukraine peace talks in the area of the Pripyat River in Gomel Oblast on 28 February became possible thanks to that. “Putin deserves praise for it. He could have given up on these negotiations. Those were not the first ones. But he didn't. He decided to try one more time,” he said.
“And certainly President Zelenskyy should be credited for it. I didn't expect he would agree,” the Belarusian head of state added.
It was noted that these negotiations were important as a starting point for a possible meeting of the presidents of Ukraine and Russia. Before the meeting can happen, delegations of both countries have to prepare matters for discussion, including demilitarization and denazification. “Once progress is secured in these issues, I am sure the two presidents will sit down, take a censer, and sign these agreements, to put it in ordinary folks' terms,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
In his opinion, to keep the negotiation process going is the key now. “Very powerful forces want to disrupt this process. God willing Zelenskyy and his team will not slide towards breaking the negotiation process,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
