Russia and Ukraine began talks Monday at the Belarus border as the conflict between the two neighbors enters its fifth day.
Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters via text message the face-to-face exchanges had begun.
The Ukrainian president’s office said earlier the talks’ aim was an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine, the Independent reports.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said 16 Ukrainian children have been killed and another 45 have been injured in the Russian invasion. He also added that over 4,500 Russian troops have been killed and urged Putin’s troops to lay down their guns and leave.
He added in a video message Monday that “every crime, every shelling by the occupiers bring our partners and us even closer.”
The Ukrainian delegation was the first to arrive for the talks with Russia, saying they were unclear whether they’ll lead to breakthrough.
The U.N. Security Council (UNSC) has also voted to hold a rare emergency special session of the General Assembly to debate the crisis engulfing Ukraine after Russia’s invasion.
The meeting is set down for Monday at U.N. headquarters in New York, as Breitbart News reported.
UPDATE — 1:42 PM EST: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested President Joe Biden and other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to establish a “no-fly zone” over large parts of his war-torn country, according to Axios. In addition, Ukraine has signed an application to join the European Union.
More to come…