Russia-Ukraine Talks Day 3 Second Round Meeting

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] The second round of talks between Russia and Ukraine is scheduled to take place on the 3rd (local time) in the Belavezhskaya Pushcha forest in southwestern Belarus, near the border with Poland.

According to the Guardian and other sources on the 2nd, the Ukrainian delegation is currently confirmed to be en route to attend the second round of talks with the Russian delegation. The second round of talks was originally expected to be held that night, but it was postponed due to the delayed arrival of the Ukrainian delegation at the venue for safety reasons.

Both sides negotiated for five hours during the first round of talks but failed to produce any significant results. Immediately after the talks, the Russian delegation only stated that some agenda items might be subject to agreement.

However, there remains a significant gap in positions. The Ukrainian delegation demanded that Russia immediately cease hostile actions and withdraw Russian troops from its territory, including Donbas and the Crimean Peninsula. On the other hand, the Russian side reportedly demanded recognition of the independence of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk (Lugansk) People's Republic, established by pro-Russian rebels in the Donbas region, and formalization of Ukraine's non-alignment with alliances. Additionally, Russia dismissed the demand for troop withdrawal from Crimea as a closed issue not subject to discussion.

Currently, the Ukrainian delegation insists that Russia must stop bombing Ukrainian cities before any progress in negotiations can be made. According to the Ukrainian emergency rescue team, more than 350 civilians have died and over 2,000 have been injured due to this invasion. Hundreds of buildings, including transportation facilities, hospitals, and residences, have also been destroyed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.