Minsk: Russia says it is ready for discussion with Ukraine. But Ukraine insists that the discussion to be done from a country that does not take part in military operations against Ukraine. Russia has chosen Gomez, a Belarusian border country, to discuss with Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a Russian delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense and other agencies, including the Presidential Administration, has arrived in Belarus for talks ahead of the deal.. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video released on his Telegram channel that he was ready for discussion with Russia in a country other than Belarus. Belarus is a pro-Russian neighbor. Ukraine has called on Russia to hold talks in Warsaw, Bratislava, Budapest, Istanbul and Baku.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared the separate Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent entities. Later, Putin ordered special military operations to protect the people of the Donbass region.