[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the 27th that he does not have high expectations for the talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations to be held in Belarus on the 28th (local time).
According to CNN and others, President Zelensky said in a short speech released on social networks that day, "I will be honest as always," adding, "I do not think the outcome of this meeting will be good, but I told them to try." He said, "This is so that no one among the Ukrainian people later doubts that I, as president, tried to stop the war."
President Zelensky emphasized, "While our delegation is there (in Belarus), the president, chief of staff, prime minister, military, and commander-in-chief are here," adding, "All of us will protect our country and our borders."
The talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations will take place on Monday morning, the 28th local time. Prior to that, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in response to the West's sanctions announcement, ordered the nuclear weapons units to strengthen their alert status.
Regarding this, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba evaluated that President Putin's move is a strategy to secure the initiative ahead of the talks. He said, "We are going to (the talks) to listen to what Russia wants to say," emphasizing, "We will not give up an inch of our territory."
Oksana Markarova, Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States, also appeared on ABC News that day and said, "We are ready for peace talks, not ready to surrender." She urged additional sanctions against Russia and military support from various countries, stating, "It is necessary for Russia to clearly see and feel that attacking a sovereign country without any reason in the 21st century is wrong."
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