By Bond Robertson 
Ukrainian negotiators arrived in the Homygl region in southeastern Belarus, on the border with Ukraine, by helicopter on Monday, less than half an hour before the start of the meeting scheduled for 10 a.m.
At 17:15, the Russian news agency RIA announced that the negotiations had ended. Now the delegations will return to their capitals, before negotiations can be resumed again at a later time.
No diplomatic breakthrough has yet been reported and hopes were already low.
Ukraine’s demands during the talks were crystal clear: an immediate cease-fire and the withdrawal of Russian forces, this was stated in a statement issued by President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office prior to the meeting.
Zelensky said on Sunday that Ukraine had not set any conditions for a meeting with the Russian envoys.
The Ukrainian delegation is headed by Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov and also includes, among others, Zelensky’s close advisor Mikhailo Podolak.
waiting
Russia has a less prominent delegation led by President Vladimir Putin’s cultural advisor Vladimir Medinsky. What are his claims with him is unknown.
“Every hour of the conflict leads to new losses among Ukrainian soldiers, and we are certainly interested in reaching agreements as soon as possible,” he said before the meeting.
– But these agreements should serve both sides, he said.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, confirmed that Russia will not announce its position before talks with the Ukrainian delegation.
– I suggest we wait for the talks. He said he will not announce any negotiating positions.
can not be reconciled
Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir McKej opened the negotiation meeting on Monday at an undisclosed location in the Homygl region.
Hopes are high, observers said before the meeting, but expectations of a diplomatic breakthrough are low. It is based, among other things, on the contradictory statements made so far on the Russian side.
And the Ukrainian National Assembly announced a few hours later that the negotiations had ended, but the Belarusian host denied this.
According to the Belarusian state news agency, the delegations took a break in the middle of the day, but then the talks resumed again and continued throughout the afternoon. This in itself is seen as an encouraging sign.