Russia says it will sharply cut military operations near Kyiv

Bloomberg

Moscow said it would sharply cut military operations near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and Chernihiv after negotiators from Ukraine and Russia held discussions in Turkey aimed at de-escalating the war.
A Ukrainian negotiator said the country is seeking international security guarantees for territory that doesn’t include the separatist-controlled areas of Donbas and Crimea. Russia indicated the talks could pave the way for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin
and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Russia said the negotiations on Tuesday were “constructive” and the Ukrainian offer would be transmitted to Putin promptly for a response. Vladimir Medinsky, Russia’s chief negotiator, said Moscow is willing to consider a presidential meeting at the same time as foreign ministers meet to initial a preliminary deal. Kyiv has long sought direct talks, while Moscow had resisted committing to Putin’s participation.
Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said the “sharp reduction” in military operations in the Kyiv and Chernihiv areas would take place immediately, with the understanding that Ukrainian forces would reciprocate.
Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak, who is meeting his Russian counterparts in Istanbul, said a cease-fire to resolve humanitarian problems and security guarantees are topics under discussion in talks that are underway.
The key point for Kyiv is about international security guarantees that Ukraine is seeking from European Union and Nato countries. But reaching a consensus of what those could be is bound to be difficult as all EU and Nato insist on staying out of direct fighting in Ukraine.
“Only with this agreement we will be able to end the war,” he said. “The second issue, which is not less important, is a cease-fire to resolve all humanitarian problems, which needs to be
resolved immediately.”
A Russian missile strike outside Lviv deliberately struck an oil terminal that stored fuel meant for the country’s spring sowing campaign, the city’s mayor, Andriy Sadovy, told the Ukrayinska Pravda online newspaper.
It was one of several attacks on oil storage, adding to pressure on Ukrainian farmers struggling to get started with the planting during the war. Ukraine’s agricultural makes up more than 40% of the country’s exports.
The regional government office in Mykolaiv was severely damaged by Russian shelling, according to Governor Vitaliy Kim, who has become a popular war-time figure for many Ukrainians. Emergency workers are still looking for eight civilians and three soldiers who may be missing in the rubble.
Meanwhile, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said he agreed with President Joe Biden’s statement in Warsaw that Russian leader Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power.”
With the war now in its second month, a series of dilemmas are coming into sharp focus over which conditions could be deemed acceptable by Ukraine for any accord, especially as regards the security guarantees alliance members might be able to offer Kyiv.
There are also divergences over what further weapons to send Ukraine, and on the question of whether talking to Putin is helpful or not, according to people familiar with discussions that have taken place in the past week between leaders on both sides of the Atlantic and documents seen by Bloomberg.
France and Germany are of the view a cease-fire should be achieved quickly and then the withdrawal of Russian troops. But other Nato members believe the dialog that Paris and Berlin are pursuing with the Kremlin is counterproductive and could play into Putin’s hands, according to one of the documents.