Direct talks with Putin 'only way' to end Russia-Ukraine war, says Zelenskyy
Categories: FOREIGN COUNTRIES
Russian and Ukrainian delegations met for the second round of talks in Brest on the Polish-Belarusian border on Thursday. Ukraine sought the opening of a humanitarian corridor, while Russia insisted that any delay in negotiations would result in the addition of "more items" to Moscow's list of demands.Following the second round of talks between officials of the two nations, Kyiv and Moscow have reportedly agreed on creating humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians. Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the Head of the Office of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, tweeted, "The second round of negotiations is over. Unfortunately, the results Ukraine needs are not yet achieved. There is a solution only for the organization of humanitarian corridors." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said if Ukraine falls to Russian forces, the Baltic States could be next. He also said that "direct talks" with Russian President Vladimir Putin are the "only way" to end the war.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, however, said he had "no doubt" that a solution to the crisis in Ukraine will be found. Lavrov also said that the Kremlin is "ready to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine and all of Europe".The Governor of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine, meanwhile, claimed that Russian shelling claimed the lives of at least 22 civilians on Thursday. Ukrainian authorities have now called on citizens to launch a 'guerrilla war' against Russian forces. Oleksiy Arestovich, an aide of President Zelenskyy, urged men to chop down trees and destroy rear columns of Russian troops. "The weak side of the Russian army is the rear - if we burn them now and block the rear, the war will stop in a matter of days," Arestovich said in a video message.Nearly 18,000 Indians have now left Ukraine and efforts are underway to bring them back, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), adding that 3,000 Indians were evacuated from Ukraine's neighbouring countries on 15 flights in the last 24 hours as part of 'Operation Ganga'.Another 7,400 Indians are expected to return to the country on 17 special flights over the next 48 hours.The Embassy in Kyiv has asked Indians still stranded in Kharkiv to brace for "difficult situations".