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.

Moscow was responding to an appeal from Mr Zelensky to Mr Putin urging him to withdraw Russian forces and engage in peace talks to prevent further loss of life.

The Ukrainian president has called for tougher Western action against Russia, including increased sanctions from the European Union, and has criticised his allies for what he sees as their weak response to the invasion.

Mr Zelensky called on military personnel to “stand firm” in defending the “territory of our country” and invited citizens of European countries to join the defence of Ukraine. 

The Russian aggression has seen air strikes on the capital Kiev and tanks rolling into Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkiv.

Turkey declined a Ukrainian request on Thursday to close the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits to Russian ships, blocking movement between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.

Although Ankara controls the key trade routes and can limit access during wartime or if threatened, it would risk all-out war between Russia and Nato if the Turkish navy was forced to confront Russian warships in the waters.

Russia said that it now had total control of Hostomel airport on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, after using about 200 helicopters in the operation that led to its capture.

According to Moscow’s Defence Ministry, more than 200 Ukrainian special forces troops were killed while the attackers suffered no casualties.

Russian forces were said to have entered Kiev in a lightning attack from the north-west and east soon after capturing the airport.

Citizens were advised to stay indoors. Many Ukrainians spent Thursday night sheltering in Metro stations to avoid Russian shelling and air strikes.

Communist Party of the Russian Federation chairman Yuri Afonin insisted that Russia was not at war with the Ukrainian people and had no plans to occupy any part of the country.

“Russia is only trying to eliminate the nazi regime, which subjugated Ukraine,” he claimed.

“In fact, this is assistance in the national liberation struggle of the Ukrainian people against this regime.”