MINSK, February 28. /TASS/. The Belarussian side is ready to take part in the talks between Ukraine and Russia, if need be, Belarusian presidential press secretary Natalia Eismont said on Monday.

"The Belarusian side is ready to take part in the talks, if need be," BelTA agency quoted her as saying.

According to Eismont, Minsk is implementing its commitments worded during "yesterday’s Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s telephone talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky."

Talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations began on Monday in Belarus’ Gomel region, on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border. Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei is present at the talks venue. He said that President Lukashenko hopes that the talks will "yield ways of settling crisis matters."

Lukashenko said on Sunday he had earlier tried to contact Zelensky to persuade him to sit down at the negotiating table.