Ukraine is reportedly “considering the proposal” to enter into talks with Russia after the latter signalled its willingness to hold a discussion.

Russia on Friday said that it was willing to send representatives to enter into talks with Ukraine, state media reported citing Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, a day after Russian troops marched into Ukraine.

“Following Zelensky’s proposal to discuss the neutral status of Ukraine, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin can send representatives of the [Russian] Ministry of Defense, the Foreign Ministry and his administration to negotiations with the Ukrainian delegation,” Peskov said as per state news agency RIA-Novosti.

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As per the Associated Press, Russia expressed its willingness to enter into talks after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his desire to discuss a non-aligned status for Ukraine in the Russia-NATO standoff.

Subsequently, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych told CNN that Ukraine was considering Russia’s proposal.

The Belarusian capital of Minsk has been chosen as the venue for the talks.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed that Ukraine had initially proposed to meet in Warsaw but then dropped contact.

“Putin immediately phoned President (Alexander) Lukashenko and agreed that the Belarusian side and the president would do everything to best organize the arrival of delegations and ensure their safety — this element is also important now — and the conditions for conducting these negotiations directly,” Peskov said in a phone call with reporters.

“The Russian side immediately, on behalf of the president, formed a delegation of representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Presidential Administration. All this information was brought to the attention of the Ukrainians,” he added.

“After a short pause, the Ukrainians said that the Ukrainians wanted to go to Warsaw. And after that they took a pause and left the connection.”

The news of the talks between the two heads of state comes amid reports that Russian forces have surrounded the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

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Russian troops marked the second day of their assault by bombarding Kyiv with rockets in the morning. Subsequently, reports stated that the sound of gunfire could be heard echoing in the streets of Kyiv, and Russian tanks were also filmed entering the Ukrainian capital.

The first day of fighting in Ukraine left hundreds dead: while President Zelensky said that at least 137 civilians and military personnel had been killed on the Ukrainian side, British defence secretary Ben Wallace claimed that at least 450 Russians had been killed on the first day of fighting.

Also read | Russia-Ukraine conflict: A brief history

The invasion of Ukraine began on Thursday morning after President Putin announced a “special military operation,” but reports so far suggest that the operation has expanded into a full-scale invasion of the eastern European country.

Since the invasion began, Russia said that it had destroyed at least 74 military installations, and the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant has also been taken over by Russian forces.