Russia, Ukraine begin talks today on ending war

KABUL (Pajhwok): Representatives from Russia and Ukraine are set to launch talks on ending the war today, media reports said on Monday.

A day earlier, the warring sides reached an agreement on holding negotiations in the Gomel region of Belarus, TASS news agency said.

The state-run media outlet added Russian negotiators had already left Minsk for the venue of the meeting, a source told the news agency.

On Sunday, a Kremlin spokesman said the Russian team was in Belarus for talks with Ukrainian officials.

Earlier, President Vladimir Putin ordered his military command to put Russia’s nuclear deterrent on high alert to counter any response from Western nations to the Ukraine war.

Putin said his action had been triggered by aggressive statements from NATO leaders and a raft of economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the West.

PAN Monitor/mud