Ukrainian media: Member of team negotiating with Russia killed

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Ukrainian media have reported the killing of Denis Kireev, a member of the negotiating delegation with Russia, during an attempt to arrest him by the Ukrainian security forces on Saturday.

According to Ukrainian media reports and MP Oleksandr Dubinsky, on his Telegram channel, Kireev may have shown resistance during his arrest by Ukrainian authorities, which led to his death.

The reports suggested that the attempted arrest was based on suspicion of high treason, however, no official information or comments have been released as of yet.

Ukrainian negotiator who participated in the first Gomel meeting, Denis Kireev, was killed during the arrest by the Ukrainian Security Service, and he is suspected of treason, the Ukrainian newspaper, Obozrevatel, reported quoting an unnamed source.

Belarusian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Anatoly Glaz said Thursday the negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations have started.

Glaz noted that the members of the two delegations shook hands before starting the talks.

The Russian-Ukrainian negotiations began in Belarus on Monday, after the Ukrainian delegation arrived Sunday in Gomel, Belarus.

Kiev agreed on Sunday to start peace talks with Russia, despite the continuation of battles in many major Ukrainian cities and Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to put the country's deterrence forces on high alert.