RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin indicated today that he was prepared to send a delegation to the Belarusian capital Minsk to discuss peace in Ukraine as Russia’s invading troops approached Kiev.

“As you know, today the President of Ukraine [Volodomyr] Zelensky announced his readiness to discuss the neutral status of Ukraine,” Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said, referring to the issue of Nato membership.

“Initially, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the purpose of the operation is to help the LPR [Lugansk People’s Republic] and the DPR [Donetsk People’s Republic], including through the demilitarisation and denazification of Ukraine. And this, in fact, is an integral component of the neutral status,” he added.