Ukraine-Russia peace talks: Has there been progress and could a ceasefire be agreed soon?

Peace talks are still underway between Russia and Ukraine with the second round of negotiations taking place yesterday (March 3).

Currently, no ceasefire agreement has been decided on between the two sides, leaving the war to rage on. Russian and Ukrainian delegations had gathered in the Brest region of Belarus to begin the second round of peace talks.

But, afterwards, Ukraine's presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, tweeted: "The second round of negotiations is over. Unfortunately, the results Ukraine needs are not yet achieved." While a third round of talks have provisionally been agreed, the war continues.

It does not seem likely that Russia will de-escalate its attack anytime soon, as its troops close in on Kyiv. Russia's foreign minister stated that Russia will continue to insist that any agreement with Ukraine must result in the demilitarisation of the country.

Russia has also hinted that it wants Ukraine to adopt a neutral status and halt all efforts to join NATO.

Prior to the meeting, Podolyak stated on Twitter that Ukraine's main priorities in the peace talks are an "immediate ceasefire" and "humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians.".

While a ceasefire is yet to be agreed upon, Podolyak tweeted that the talks did lead to a "solution only for the organization of humanitarian corridors" - a small but significant step in trying to save some of the lives of his countrymen.

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However, Friday brought yet more news of attacks and deaths. In the early hours of Friday morning (March 4), it was confirmed by Ukrainian authorities that a fire broke out in a training building outside the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after