Today the negotiations in the Russia-Ukraine war begin. In the meantime, however, the war continues: bombings continue in Kiev and other cities, with reciprocal accusations of inhumane behavior by the two armies, all while the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has put the deterrence forces "on special alert ” of his army, evoking the specter of nuclear weapons.
Russia-Ukraine: ceasefire negotiations begin
Precisely this move by the Kremlin's number one would have prompted the delegations of the two countries to meet on Monday on the banks of the Pripyat river, at the gates of Belarus. The government of Volodymyr Zelensky would have chosen the border area as the venue for the summit, for political and security reasons, after the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, had also allowed the invasion from his territory. Minsk has promised a truce in the talks zone.
The negotiations for a ceasefire will be "without preconditions", assured Zelensky, who however considers the operation difficult: "I don't believe much in the outcome of this meeting - said the Ukrainian President - but let's try".
Kiev agreed to participate in the negotiations just as the Russian ultimatum was about to expire.
The role of Belarus in the Russia-Ukraine war
Belarus is said to be on the verge of joining Russian troops in the ongoing war in Ukraine: this was reported by the Kyiv Independent, which cites unspecified sources, adding that Belarus' entry into the war could take place "within hours". A constitutional referendum has passed in Lukashenko's country which would allow Russia to install nuclear weapons on its territory, however excluding any "military aggression from the territory" of Belarus.
The war continues, not only in Kiev
Moscow has let more tanks and rocket launchers into Ukraine. Explosions were heard throughout Sunday in Kiev, where at nightfall the sirens of the anti-aircraft alarms began to sound repeatedly, causing the population to run into the underground bunkers and other shelters.
Zelensky has accused his opponents of targeting civilian homes, but even the Russians are speaking of a dirty war on the part of the Ukrainians, accusing them of torturing "the few captured Russian soldiers" and of "massive use of phosphorus-loaded munitions on the outskirts of Kyiv".
There are several cities under siege, from Kherson to Berdyansk up to Mariupol, along the strip north of the Crimea on the Sea of Azov. In these hours the battle is raging especially in Kharkiv, near the Russian border north of Donbass, where separatist militias continue to advance. After a night of clashes, the Ukrainian army claimed to have regained control of the city, but the fighting did not stop and the damage was heavy, including the explosion of a gas pipeline.
The nuclear threat
After meeting the military leaders, Putin punctuated the announcement that evokes the specter of nuclear war: "I order the defense minister and the chief of staff to place the deterrence forces of the Russian army on special alert, in response to the aggressive statements by the West”.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, believes that the nuclear alert is a way to "put pressure" in view of the talks.
NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg condemned the Kremlin's "aggressive rhetoric", while the UN Security Council convened a new emergency meeting on Monday.
Read also - Kaliningrad: NATO's Achilles heel in the war
