Kiev Will Bear Responsibility for Consequences if It Refuses Negotiations with Russia, Slutsky Says

The Russian delegation in Minsk is prepared to wait until 15:00 for a response from the Ukrainian side regarding negotiations; if rejected, Kiev will bear responsibility for further developments. This was stated by Leonid Slutsky, the head of the State Duma's International Affairs Committee and a member of the Russian delegation, on his Telegram channel.

“The Russian delegation, led by Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, remains in Minsk and is ready to wait until 15:00 Belarus time for the Ukrainian side to confirm its willingness to participate in the negotiations in Gomel. It was Kiev that initiated these negotiations,” Slutsky wrote.

He emphasized that the delegation believes that President Vladimir Zelensky's statements about the “desire for peace” are not mere hollow words. “In the case of another rejection and new justifications, the current Ukrainian government will bear full responsibility for the further development of the situation,” Slutsky added.