The first face-to-face talks in two weeks between Russia and Ukraine began Tuesday in Turkey, raising flickering hopes there could be progress toward ending a war that has ground into a bloody campaign of attrition.
Ahead of the meeting in Istanbul, the Ukrainian president said his country is prepared to declare its neutrality, as Moscow has demanded, and is open to compromise over the contested eastern region of Donbas - comments that might lend momentum to negotiations. But he warned the"ruthless war" continued, and even the negotiators assembled, Russian forces hit an oil depot in western Ukraine and a government building in the south.
Putin's aim of a quick military victory has been thwarted by stiff Ukrainian resistance - but still hopes were not high for a breakthrough. Reflecting skepticism among Ukraine's Western allies, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she thought the Russian president was"not serious about talks." "If someone is afraid of Russia, if he or she is afraid to make the necessary decisions that are important to us, in particular for us to get planes, tanks, necessary artillery, shells, it makes these people responsible for the catastrophe created by Russian troops in our cities, too," he said."Fear always makes you an accomplice."
Earlier Russia-Ukraine talks, held in person in Belarus or by video, failed to make progress on ending a more than month-long war that has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes - including almost 4 million from their country. It was unclear where the Russian troops went, under what circumstances they fled and whether the town will remain free of them.
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