Russia says ‘ready’ to continue talks with Ukraine tonight: Reports

The second round of talks will be held amid ferocious fighting between Ukraine and Russia for the seventh consecutive day

Russia on Wednesday agreed to continue talks with Ukraine for the second round of negotiations, news agency AFP reported. The first round of negotiations were held between the two countries on Monday in the border town Gomel of Belarus. The second round of talks will be held amid ferocious fighting between the two countries for the seventh consecutive day. 

The first round of Russia-Ukraine delegation talks took place in Belarus on Monday.(Twitter/Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus)

Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy's adviser told Reuters that talks on holding negotiations with Moscow was underway and a substantial agenda was needed. 

In a latest development, Russia says it has taken control over the port city of Kherson. The capture came hours after the city governor had claimed that Putin's forces had surrounded it. 

Meanwhile, Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote in an online post, saying Russia was gathering troops closer to the Ukrainian capital.  Russia is gathering troops closer and closer to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital's mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote in an online post on Wednesday.

 

“We are preparing and will defend Kyiv! Kyiv stands and will stand,” Reuters quoted the Kyiv mayor. 

Russia continues to target Ukraine's second largest city of Kharkiv with missiles and shelling. The city mayor claimed the residential areas had come under attack from the Russian forces, being constantly bombed as the fighting turned brutal. 

In a latest development, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has declared that Russia won't allow Ukraine to get nuclear weapons, news agency Reuters reported. This comes at a time when Putin is facing backlash from Ukraine and the West for putting its strategic nuclear missiles on high combat duty.