Kyiv (Ukraine):Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet him, salting the proposal with sarcasm. “Sit down with me to negotiate, just not at 30 meters," he said Thursday, apparently referring to recent photos of Putin sitting at one end of an extremely long table when he met with French President Emmanuel Macron.
“I don’t bite. What are you afraid of?” Zelenskyy said at a Thursday news conference. Zelenskyy said it was sensible to have talks: “Any words are more important than shots.” The second round of talks with the Russians has begun over the war in Ukraine, Zelenskyy's office said on Thursday.
The key issues on the agenda according to the Ukraine president's office are an immediate ceasefire, armistice, and humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians from destroyed or constantly shelled villages and cities. The talks are happening in Belarus on the Ukrainian border. A video released by Zelenskyy’s office Thursday showed the informally dressed Ukrainian delegation walking into the meeting room where they shook hands with Russian delegates in suits and ties. The talks are aimed at stopping the fighting that has sent more than 1 million people fleeing over Ukraine’s borders, but the two sides appeared to have little common ground.
Agency inputs
