We didn't know if we would come back – Ukraine's Defence Minister on talks with Russia in Minsk
Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine's Defence Minister, has said that the Ukrainian delegation was unsure whether it would return home from a trip to Minsk for talks with Russia at the beginning of the war.
Source: Reznikov in an interview with the Spanish news agency La Razon
Details: Reznikov called it the worst day and the most challenging decision to be part of the Ukrainian delegation that went to Belarus in the first days of the war.
He noted that the purpose of the talks was to create humanitarian corridors, which helped save tens of thousands of lives.
Quote from Reznikov: "It was challenging to say ‘yes’ to the president when he asked me [to be a part of the delegation], as I felt a deep hatred [for Russians – ed.]. And as a negotiator, I know this is an emotion that is not useful.
It was terrible to shake hands with the enemy.
There were four meetings, including three in Belarus and one in Türkiye.
I can tell you that in the first three, we did not feel safe at all and even doubted that we would come back home."
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