Jonathan Spicer, Gleb Garanich

ISTANBUL/KYIV OUTSKIRTS/MARIUPOL Ukraine (Reuters – Russia pledged Tuesday that it would reduce its military operations near Kyiv in order to build confidence, the first tangible indication of progress towards negotiating an escalation to the war.

At a meeting in Istanbul, the Ukraine proposed to adopt neutral status. This was in accordance with the best possible formula for reaching a settlement for the five-week conflict.

Moscow’s February 24th invasion was stopped on all fronts by strong resistance. Ukrainians have retaken territory while civilians remain trapped in their cities.

Russian Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin said to reporters, “In order increase mutual trust and to create the conditions necessary for further negotiations, the ultimate goal is to agreeing and signing (an agreement) agreements, a decision has been made to drastically reduce military activity at the Kyiv-Chernihiv direction.”

He did not mention other areas where heavy fighting has occurred, such as around Mariupol, Sumy, Kharkiv and Kharkiv to the east, and Kherson, Mykolaiv and Mykolaiv to the south.

Analysts noted that Russia’s promises to end fighting only covered those areas it was losing ground.

“Does ‘we’ll drastically reduce military operations around Kyiv’ = ‘we’re getting our ass kicked, transitioned to a hasty defense?'” Mark Hertling is a former U.S. commander and lieutenant general.

PEACE IN SIGHT

Negotiators from Ukraine stated that Kyiv would not agree to host foreign bases or join other alliances under their plans, but security would be assured in terms comparable to Article 5, the collective defence clause, of NATO’s transatlantic military alliance.

The countries they mentioned were Turkey, Canada and NATO members Canada. Russia, Britain and Germany could be also involved.

According to the negotiators, there was a period of 15 years for consultation on the status and rights of Russian-annexed Crimea. These could be in force only in case of ceasefire.

Russian and Ukrainian leaders will discuss the future of the Donbas region in the south, Russia having demanded that Ukraine hand it over to separatists.

A referendum would be required in Ukraine to approve any peace agreement.

Russian representatives stated that they will study the suggestions and make them available to President Vladimir Putin.

According to the Ukrainian negotiators, a meeting was called between President Volodymyr and Putin. Top Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky suggested that this could happen if foreign ministers are willing to sign an agreement.

Oleksander Chaly, Ukrainian negotiator said that if we can consolidate these key provisions then Ukraine will actually be able to fix its status as non-bloc or non-nuclear and achieve permanent neutrality.

He stated that “we will not allow foreign military bases to be located on our territory” and also said they would not deploy troops on the territory. With the approval of the countries guarantor, military exercises will be held.

SCAVENGING IN RUINS

One month after the largest attack on an European nation since World War Two began, over 3.9 million have fled to other countries, thousands were injured or killed and Russia has suffered severe sanctions.

Nearly 5,000 people were killed by Russian troops in Mariupol.

The few remaining residents in the areas now held by Russian troops appeared to be ghostly among the charred, bombed apartments blocks. A little girl, wearing a pink puffy coat with yellow knitted headwear was playing in the ruins while explosions rattled in the distance. Two young men scavenge through the rubble using a wheelbarrow.

We are eight. Irina, an engineer in her apartment that had seen windows blasted out, said, “We have two buckets potatoes, and one bucket of onion.” The group made soup using a homemade stove built into the staircase.

Gennadiy, an older man from Russia, left the wrecked house hunched over and his possessions in a sheet on his back. He said, “It’s very frightening to be left without anything.”

But, elsewhere in Ukraine, Ukrainian forces made significant advances and retook territory from Russian troops in the northeastern part of Kyiv as well as in the southern.

The road leading to Rusaniv contained a recapture area that was littered in Russian uniforms, as well as pieces of burned out tanks. The destruction of surrounding houses was quite alarming. In uniform, a Ukrainian man dug a pit for the burial of the remains of a Russian soldier.

A missile struck the central administrative building in Mykolaiv’s southern district. At least 7 people were reported to have been killed, and at most 20 others injured. There was also an 18-person rescue team from the debris.

Sergei Shoigu (Russian Defence Minister) stated that Russia has largely finished the first phase in its attack on Ukraine and had significantly degraded Ukraine’s military capabilities. Russia will now be focusing on territories claimed by separatists of the southeast.

Moscow issued a similar statement late last week. This was interpreted by the West to mean that Moscow is abandoning its initial plans of overthrowing the Kyiv government.

Russia describes its mission as a “special operation” meant to “denazify and disarm Ukraine. According to the West, it was unprovoked.

Roman Abramovich, a Russian billionaire, was present at the negotiation venue. According to the Kremlin, he was only there as an intermediary but not as part of Russia’s delegation. Russia, Ukraine, and the United States all denied that he had been poisoned on a previous peace mission.