Russia said on Tuesday it would sharply scale back military activity around Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv, in the most tangible sign yet of progress towards a peace deal. Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin gave the undertaking after talks between delegations from the two countries in Istanbul. “In order to increase mutual trust and create the necessary conditions for further negotiations and achieving the ultimate goal of agreeing and signing (an) agreement, a decision was made to radically, by a large margin, reduce military activity in the Kyiv and Chernihiv directions,” Fomin said.
Here are the Latest Updates from the Russia-Ukraine war:
– Ukraine’s top negotiator said enough progress had been made at talks Tuesday in Turkey to resolve the conflict with Russia to enable a meeting between the presidents of the two countries. “The results of today’s meeting are sufficient for a meeting at the leaders’ level,” Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia said, raising the possibility of a meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin that Russia had shot down as recently as Monday as being “counterproductive”, reports AFP.
US President Joe Biden to discuss Ukraine war in phone call with European leaders: AFP News Agency quotes White House
– Russian negotiator says ‘meaningful’ talks held with Ukraine: AFP News Agency
– Russia says to ‘radically’ reduce military activity near Kyiv, Chernigiv, reports AFP News Agency. Kyiv negotiators call for ‘international’ accord to guarantee Ukrainian security, the agency further reports.
– Just In: The first face-to-face talks between Russia and Ukraine have begun Turkey. According to Reuters, there was no handshake between the negotiators.
– Russia-Ukraine are expected to hold another round of talks on Tuesday, according to media reports.
– US President Joe Biden on Monday (local time) said he would make “no apologies” and wasn’t “walking anything back” his remarks that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power”.
“I’m not walking anything back,” Biden said at the White House. “I was expressing the moral outrage I felt toward the way Putin is dealing and the actions of this man.”
– Senior US State Department official has told Reuters on condition of anonymity that Putin is not ready to make compromises to end the war in Ukraine.
“Everything I have seen is he is not willing to compromise at this point,” the official said. “So, how far we go in trying to offer him off-ramps that undercut the sovereignty of Ukraine and the decisions that (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelinskiy would have to make, I don’t have a good insight for you.”
