Minsk: Ukraine has agreed to hold talks with Russia in Belarus, a border country of Ukraine. This is a change from their previous demand to hold talks in a country other than Belarus. Security of the Ukrainian delegation is based on a personal assurance given by the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.

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