Russia’s deputy defense minister, Alexander Fomin, said the move was intended to “boost mutual trust”, as he announced in Turkey after face-to-face talks on Tuesday. In order to “create the necessary conditions for future negotiations,” the Russian Defense Ministry had decided to “dramatically reduce military activity in the direction of Kiev and Chernihiv,” Fomin said in a video released by Russian state media. The decision was made as “negotiations on the preparation of an agreement on neutrality and non-nuclear status of Ukraine, as well as on the provision of security guarantees for Ukraine, are entering a practical phase,” he said, referring to the basic requirements. from both sides. Mykhailo Podolyak, senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a member of the country’s delegation, said: “Today, we have positions that can be almost supported by both the Russian Federation and the guarantor countries,” referring to the states that are expected to undertake the security of Ukraine as part of a settlement. He said the documents worked on by the two sides in the talks “are sufficient to announce and hold the meeting of the presidents”. Last week, the Russian military said it was entering a “new phase” in the war, focusing on fighting in eastern Ukraine, where it was expanding its control over the Donbas region and fighting for control of the port city of Mariupol. Two Western officials have warned not to take Moscow’s latest pledge at face value, saying the Russian military has not yet shown any signs of retreating around Kyiv or Chernihiv, a key city north of the capital. Russia this week moved to completely encircle Chernihiv and tried to make gains around the northern suburbs of the capital, but struggled to overcome the Ukrainian defenses. Although the Istanbul talks were to last two days, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said it would not continue in person on Wednesday. The talks will continue online, Podolyak said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants the talks to pave the way for a meeting between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia. Among those present was Roman Abramovich, the Russian owner of the Chelsea Football Club, who suffered symptoms of poisoning when he tried to mediate talks in Kyiv earlier this month. While negotiators outlined a possible ceasefire and moves toward a political settlement, diplomats in Kyiv, Moscow and the West said they remained skeptical of any imminent progress. Before talks began on Tuesday, Zelensky used a midnight speech to praise his forces for recapturing Irpin, a suburb of Kiev, and a major gateway to the capital, the latest in a series of counterattacks by Russian forces. “The conquerors were repulsed by Irpin. “He was repulsed from Kyiv,” Zelensky said. “However, it is too early to talk about security in this part of our region. The battles continue. “Russian troops control the northern part of Kiev, they have the resources and the manpower.” Ukraine’s exact gains have not been independently verified, but the UK said Zelensky’s forces had made progress in “mounted counterattacks” in northwestern Kiev, including Irpin, Bucha and Hostomel. “These attacks have had some success and the Russians have been repulsed from many positions,” the defense ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. If confirmed, the recapture of Irpin would mark an important milestone for Ukrainian forces. The suburbs of Kiev have been the scene of fierce clashes since the start of the war. Moscow, Kyiv discuss ceasefire, humanitarian corridors as part of possible deal to abandon NATO bid in exchange for security guarantees, EU membership . With Russia’s month-long ground offensive largely halted, Moscow has signaled its willingness to back down from some of its most difficult initial demands. But Ukraine and its Western backers fear that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use the talks as a ploy to replenish his forces in preparation for a new offensive.

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According to four people who were briefed on the discussions, the draft ceasefire documents do not include a reference to “demilitarization”, “demilitarization” and legal protection of the Russian language in Ukraine. Moscow is also ready to let Kyiv join the EU if it remains militarily non-aligned, the people said. David Arachamia, leader of Zelensky’s party in parliament and a member of the Kiev negotiating team, told the Financial Times before the talks that the parties were close to an agreement on security guarantees and Ukraine’s EU bid, but urged cautious about the prospects for significant progress, saying many points were “unresolved”. Dmitry Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said the country’s negotiators “will not exchange people, land and sovereignty” during the talks. With the war in its second month, Russia has increasingly focused on advancing eastward, aiming to wrap Ukrainian forces there while throwing troops into the fierce battle for the port of Mariupol in the Sea of ​​Azov. In addition to the counterattack around Kyiv, Ukraine claimed responsibility for the attack on the Sumy area northwest of Kharkov’s second city and near the town of Izyum to the east, saying it had recaptured Kamyanka and Topolske settlements. Ukrainian forces are also advancing on the southern Kherson region.

Most of the territorial gains are limited in scope and cannot be verified independently. However, the Pentagon confirmed on Monday that Ukrainian forces had recaptured the town of Trostyanets, northwest of Kharkov. Vadim Denishenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister, said on Tuesday that Kyiv “remains one of the main targets of this war for Putin.” In a briefing on Tuesday, the Ukrainian military said Russian troops had been “weakened” and “disoriented”, with some units cut off from supply lines and main forces. He said Russia was resorting to “indiscriminate artillery fire and rocket attacks” to compensate for the “reduction in the combat potential of enemy units”. On Tuesday morning, a Russian missile destroyed the building of the Mykolayev regional administration, Governor Vitaly Kim said. Video: China, Russia and the war in Ukraine