Medinsky: No agreement before Russian conditions are fulfilled

The Russian chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, stated today that an agreement with Kiev is unlikely without the demilitarisation and de-Nazification of Ukraine and the recognition of the independence of Crimea and Donbass.

He added that Russia insists on a comprehensive treaty with the neutral status of Ukraine and security guarantees, as well as other important points for it.

It's clear that Ukraine is concerned about security guarantees in case it does not join NATO, Medinsky noted.

Earlier, the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations began in Gomel, Belarus. Kiev agreed to start peace talks with Russia, despite the continuation of battles in many major Ukrainian cities and Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to put the country's deterrence forces on high alert.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had pointed out that he does not really "believe in the outcome" of the negotiations in Belarus.

Russia launched a special operation to demilitarize and "denazify" Ukraine in response to requests from the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics for assistance in combating Ukrainian troops' aggression.

The special operation is only targeting Ukrainian military facilities, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, and the civilian population is not at risk.