Russia's deputy defence minister has announced that Moscow has decided to "fundamentally cut back" operations near Kyiv. The Ukrainian capital and the city of Chernihiv will no longer be the core focus of Russian operations as the nation attempts to "increase mutual trust" in talks aimed at ending the fighting, he said.
Alexander Fomin's statement comes after another round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine got underway in the Turkish city of Istanbul. It is the first major concession made by the Russian government since they began their invasion of Ukraine more than a month ago.
The Ukrainian general staff of the military said earlier it had noted withdrawals from Russian troops around Kyiv and Chernihiv. The talks come shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country was "looking for peace without delay".
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Zelensky added that his government would consider declaring neutrality and offer security guarantees to Russia, including keeping Ukraine nuclear-free. He told independent Russian journalists on Sunday that the issue of neutrality - and agreeing to stay out of Nato - should be put to Ukrainian voters in a referendum following the withdrawal of Russian troops.
Such a vote could take place within a few months of Russia leaving Ukraine, according to Zelensky. He also noted that Ukraine's priorities in the Turkey peace-talks will be "sovereignty and territorial integrity".
“We are looking for peace, really, without delay,” he said. “There is an opportunity and a need for a face-to-face meeting in Turkey. This is not bad. Let’s see the outcome.”
This week, he said, “I will continue to appeal to the parliaments of other countries” to remind them of the dire situation in besieged cities like Mariupol."
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