Ukrainian forces claim to have recaptured the suburbs of Kyiv and the eastern city from the Russians. And when the negotiations meet for the next round of talks aimed at stopping the fighting, it becomes an impasse on the ground.
Before the Istanbul talks, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said his country was ready to declare neutrality, as requested by Moscow. They are also ready to make concessions on the fate of Donbass, a disputed region in the east of the country.
The mayor of Irbin, on the northwest outskirts of Kiev, which saw the fiercest fighting near the capital, said Russian forces had “liberated” the city. Erbin attracted widespread attention after images surfaced of a mother and her two children killed by a bomb while trying to escape with their bodies lying on the sidewalk with luggage and a pet carrier nearby.
A senior US defense official said Washington believed the Ukrainians had recaptured the city of Trostian, south of Sumy. The official said Russian forces remained mostly in defensive positions near the capital, Kyiv, and made little progress elsewhere in the country.
The official said Moscow appears to be shifting its focus away from ground operations near Kyiv and focusing more on Donbass, a predominantly Russian-speaking region where Moscow-backed rebels have waged a separatist war for the past eight years. Late last week, as its forces were sinking in parts of the country, Russia said its main goal was to take control of the Donbass.
This suggested a possible exit strategy for Russian President Vladimir Putin. It also instilled fears in Ukraine that the Kremlin intends to divide the country in two and force it to give up part of its territory.
Ukrainian forces have recently pushed the Russians back into other sectors. In the city of Makarev, near the strategic highway west of the capital, Associated Press reporters saw a Russian missile launcher, a burned Russian truck, the body of a Russian soldier and a destroyed Ukrainian tank days before after a fight.
On Friday, a US defense official said the Russians were no longer in full control of Kherson, the first major city to be handed over to Moscow’s forces. The Kremlin denied any involvement in the attack.
Russia has long urged Ukraine to give up hope of joining NATO, which Moscow sees as a threat. Zelensky stressed that Ukraine needs security guarantees as part of any agreement.
Over the weekend, he said he was willing to accept neutrality. He also stated that “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine are indisputable” and suggested that a compromise could be reached “on the difficult issue of Donbass”.
The Ukrainian leader has previously said so, but he has rarely made such a broad comment. Turkish media reported that this could give a boost to the talks, for which Russian delegates arrived in Istanbul on Monday.
Source: Belfastlive
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