Ukraine demanded an immediate Russian ceasefire and troop withdrawal on Monday as its delegation arrived in Belarus for talks with Russian negotiators.
Ukraine's delegation is set to meet Russian representatives for the first talks since Moscow's invasion, as the fighting for several Ukrainian cities continues and the Russian rouble collapses.
"The Ukrainian delegation arrived at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border to take part in talks with representatives of the Russian Federation," the Ukrainian presidency said in a statement.
"The key issue of the talks is an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of troops from Ukraine." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a separate statement urged Russian troops to abandon their equipment and leave the battlefield in order to save their lives, claiming that more than 4,500 Russian soldiers had already lost their lives.
He also urged the European Union to give Ukraine "immediate" membership, via a special procedure.
Russian state media posted videos of Ukrainian delegates arriving to the talks by helicopter.
