In this photo provided by Turkish Presidency, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (center) gives a speech to welcome the Russian (left) and Ukrainian delegations ahead of their talks, in Istanbul, Turkey on March 29, 2022. (TURKISH PRESIDENCY VIA AP)
ISTANBUL / MOSCOW – The Russian Defense Ministry has decided to significantly reduce military activity in the Kyiv and Chernihiv directions, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin announced Tuesday.
The decision was made to increase mutual trust between Russia and Ukraine and create the necessary conditions for further negotiations, Fomin said following the new round of Moscow-Kyiv peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey.
The world is waiting for good news from you (Russia and Ukraine). We are ready for any contribution that can make your job easier.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President
According to him, during Tuesday's negotiations, progress was made on the preparation for a treaty on the neutral and non-nuclear status of Ukraine as well as security guarantees to Ukraine.
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Tuesday's meeting lasted for around three hours, according to media reports. Ukraine's neutrality, its disarmament and security guarantees, de-Nazification and the removal of obstacles to Russian language usage in Ukraine, are among the topics on the table, reports said before the meeting.
Before the meeting, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the time had come for talks to yield concrete results.
The Turkish leader called for an immediate ceasefire and said a prolonged conflict is not in anyone's interest.
"The world is waiting for good news from you. We are ready for any contribution that can make your job easier," Erdogan said, adding that Turkey is ready to host a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders.
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Since Feb 28, Russia and Ukraine have held three rounds of face-to-face peace talks and a series of online discussions, failing to reach a major agreement.
