Deadline given by Russia to Ukraine for talks in Belarus ends

MOSCOW

The deadline given by Russia to Ukraine for talks ended at 3 p.m. local time (GMT1200) on Sunday.

The delegation headed by Vladimir Medinskiy, an advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin, arrived in Gomel, Belarus.

Speaking to reporters in Gomel, Medinskiy said: "We are here until 15:00 (1200GMT) and we will wait for the decision of the Ukrainian side to come for the negotiations in Gomel."

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he had a phone call with President of Belarus Aleksander Lukashenko, shortly before the deadline.

Zelenskyy, in a statement earlier on Sunday, suggested Istanbul, Warsaw, Baku, or Budapest for negotiations with Russia, instead of a city in Belarus, where attacks were carried out against his country.