ISTANBUL/Lviv (Reuters) – A few hours before new direct talks between representatives of Ukraine and Russia, fighting has continued with undiminished fierceness.
Sirens warned of air raids in many Ukrainian cities on Tuesday night. According to the mayor, almost 5,000 residents have been killed in the particularly hard-fought port city of Mariupol in the south-east.
In Istanbul on Tuesday, representatives of both sides, mediated by Turkey, want to make another attempt at a ceasefire. However, neither Ukraine nor the US expect a breakthrough, although the Russian offensive appears to have stalled on several fronts. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on television: “The minimum program will be humanitarian issues, and the maximum program would be a cease-fire agreement.” A representative of the US government had stated that he did not expect Russian President Vladimir Putin to be willing to compromise on ending the war.
The Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov said only that the talks had not brought any substantial progress so far. But it is important that they are continued personally. Most recently, both sides had spoken to each other via video conferences.
Russia is demanding recognition of the separatist areas in the East as independent states, including Crimea as Russian sovereign territory, Ukraine’s renunciation of NATO membership and the country’s demilitarization. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has shown himself willing to compromise in some areas.