Huge convoy of Belarusian tanks, troop carriers seen near Ukraine’s border as Kyiv, Moscow start talks

New Delhi, Feb. 28 (IANS): A convoy of Belarusian tanks and troop carriers were seen queueing near the Ukrainian border today as officials from Moscow and Kyiv started peace talks, Daily Mail reported.

Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelensky admitted he was not confident of a positive resolution, adding that he owed it to his people to at least try and engage, the report said.

He had been reticent to agree to talks in Belarus, a country used as a staging ground for the Russian invasion and which is now poised to join the war, offering instead to meet in Istanbul, Warsaw, or Baku.

Ukraine has indicated it will request a ceasefire and full withdrawal of Russian forces but Moscow has remained tight lipped over what the negotiations, held at noon in Gomel in southeastern Belarus, could entail.

But columns of Belarusian military vehicles were spotted today heading east from the southwestern corner of the country in what appeared to be preparations to join the invasion of Ukraine, Daily Mail reported.

Meanwhile, observers have warned the talks could be a pretext for Moscow to ramp up its attacks on Ukraine if Kyiv’s officials refuse Russian demands.

Among those present at the talks were the Ukrainian Defence Minister, a lead advisor to the President’s office and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

But while Ukraine sent its Defence Minister and other top officials, the Russian delegation was led by Putin’s Adviser on Culture – an unlikely envoy for ending the war and perhaps a sign of how Moscow views the talks, the report said.