Putin praises Russian special forces as Kremlin says it’s ready for talks in Belarus

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a news conference in Moscow, Russia, on February 1, 2022. (Yuri Kochetkov/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a news conference in Moscow, Russia, on February 1, 2022. (Yuri Kochetkov/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulates members of special forces on their professional holiday, saying they fought “heroically” in Ukraine, while the Kremlin insists it’s ready for talks with Kyiv.

“Special gratitude to those who these days are heroically fulfilling their military duty in the course of a special operation to provide assistance to the people’s republics of Donbas,” Putin says in a televised address.

Separately, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tells Russian news agencies on Sunday that Russia was ready for talks with Ukraine, adding that a delegation from Moscow had already arrived in the Belarusian city of Gomel.

“We will be ready to begin these talks in Gomel,” Peskov says.

Ukrainian authorities have refused to hold talks in Belarus, which has allowed Russian troops passage to pro-Western Ukraine.

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