Russia-Ukraine War: Talks start with ‘cold welcome’, without handshake

Talks between the delegations from Ukraine and Russia has begun with cold welcome,  without a handshake, Ukrainian television has reported.

“There was a cold welcome, no handshake,” a Ukrainian reporter said, without making clear whether he had witnessed the delegations meeting or had been told this by officials.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a political adviser to Zelenskyy, said on Twitter that the heads of each side’s delegation were discussing “the fundamental provisions of the negotiation process”.

“Delegations are working in parallel on the entire spectrum of contentious issues,” he added.