Russian and Ukrainian delegations may meet again

(News 1st); A new meeting of the Russian and Ukrainian delegations may be held on the Belarusian-Polish border in a couple of days, Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei said.

"The fact that, hopefully, a meeting will take place on the Belarusian-Polish border in a couple of days also speaks for itself," Makei said after the first round of the Russian-Ukrainian talks near the Pripyat River.

Monday's "meeting was needed in order to continue contacts that will possibly help us resolve all critical issues that exist now," he said.

The head of the Duma foreign affairs committee, Leonid Slutsky, said after the talks with Ukraine that the two sides were ready, in the near term, to look for a possibility to reach a common denominator on the situation in Ukraine but whether the talks result in concrete steps to save lives will be evident in next few days.

"The sides heard one another and I can say quite responsibly, and not just for the sake of some momentary grandstanding, that there is a number of crucial points on which progress is possible. This is the main outcome of today's consultations," Slutsky said on Rossiya-24 television channel on Monday.

The Russian side had not ruled out that "such a conversation might not happen, [but] it did," he said.

"What its continuation will be like and whether it will take shape of some concrete steps whose aim is, certainly the most important aim, is to save human lives, this, of course, time will tell very soon. Of course, not hours but days, I am sure, absolutely," Slutsky said.

"It is important for the sides to hear one another and be ready in the very near future to look for the possibility of reaching a common denominator on these key issues," he said.