Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated that there have not been recent diplomatic communication between Russia and Ukraine at their level of foreign ministries. He also said that the “dire” situation in Mariupol may pose a problem for negotiations.

In an interview, he said to CBS News that Mariupol “may be a Red Line” on Sunday.

Ukrainian soldiers refused to surrender their arms to Russia’s ultimatum on Sunday at the port of Mariupol. Moscow claimed that its forces had nearly seized Mariupol in its largest prize in the almost two-month-long war.

Denys Shmyhal, the Ukrainian Prime Minister, stated that troops fighting in Mariupol are still fighting despite Russian demands to surrender before dawn.

Kuleba revealed that they had not been in contact with Russian diplomats during the last week at the foreign ministry level.

The negotiating team, which consists of representatives from various institutions as well as members of parliament, is the only point of contact. “They continue their consultations on the expert level, but they are not engaging in high-level discussions,” he said.

According to the foreign minister, he expects “intensification in heavy fighting in east Ukraine” over the next few weeks.

The foreign minister answered questions about the possibility of Joe Biden visiting Ukraine. He said that Ukraine was happy to receive him, and that it would send “a message of support.”

However, earlier this week, the White House said that Biden was not scheduled to travel to Russia, which invaded late February.

Jen Psaki spoke on Friday, stating that the White House is not sending “the president to Ukraine”.