Ukraine rejects Russia's proposal to start talks in Belarus

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky responded to Russia's proposal to start negotiations on the territory of Belarus, RIA Novosti reports.

According to Zelensky, negotiations in Minsk are impossible.

"Warsaw, Bratislava, Budapest, Istanbul, Baku — we all offered this to the Russian side. Any other city suits us. In a country, from the territory of which no rockets are being launched," the Ukrainian president said.

Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Russian delegation, consisting of representatives for the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Defense Ministry and the presidential administration, arrived in Gomel, Belarus, and was waiting for representatives of Ukraine.

Belarus has carried out preparations for the negotiations between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine in Gomel, the press secretary of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Anatoly Glaz told RIA Novosti.

On February 25, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he was ready to negotiate with Russia to discuss Ukraine's neutral status. Russian President Vladimir Putin responded by expressing his readiness to send a delegation to such talks. Later, Peskov said that the Ukrainian side first suggested holding the talks in Warsaw, but then stopped communicating.