Ukrainian foreign minister aims for peace talks by ‘end of February’
Russia’s Vladimir Putin has met with his closest international Alexander Lukashenko twice in 24 hours, in meetings at which the Belarusian president said “many issues were finalised”.
There are fears that Belarus could be dragged actively into the war in Ukraine, after Mr Putin used it as a staging ground for his invasion in February. The presidents publicly acknowledged discussing the economy, space missions, the Russian language, and “serious matters, including our bilateral relations”.
Meanwhile, Kyiv’s armed forces claimed to have incapacitated 100 Russian troops in the Zaporizhzhia region - among them 15 FSB agents – in an attack on Christmas Day, as fighting raged most heavily in Bakhmut and Lyman on the Donbas frontline.
It came as Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov insisted Ukraine should hand over the four regions Mr Putin has unsuccessfully attempted to illegally annexe – as Kyiv announced hopes for a peace summit in February, hosted at the United Nations. Asked if Russia would be invited, Ukraine said it should first face prosecution for war crimes at an international court.
