A little over a month after the start of the war in Ukraine, the international press observes significant and unprecedented progress in the talks between the two countries, which were held in Turkey. “Russia and Ukraine reported making the greatest progress to date in the negotiations,” highlighted The New York Times.
- Russia says it is taking “two steps towards kyiv”.
After the resumption of Ukrainian-Russian talks in Istanbul on Tuesday, the head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, told the press that following exchanges “constructive” including “clearly worded proposals” by the Ukrainian side, Russia had offered to make “two steps towards the Kyiv authorities for de-escalation”. A political step and a military step.
Clarifications were provided by the Deputy Minister of Defense, Alexandre Fomine: “Negotiations on an agreement on the neutrality and non-nuclear status of Ukraine entering a practical dimension […]it was decided, in order to increase confidence, to drastically reduce military activity in the direction of kyiv and Chernigiv.”
This northern city, close to Belarus and Russia, had been one of the “first targets” Russian troops, explains the BBC, who reports that “estimates put 140,000 people stranded in the beleaguered city”.
- Ukraine ready for several concessions
On Tuesday 29, Vladimir Medinsky declared