Ukraine claims to regain control of Kiev, peace talks progress

According to CNBC, in a post on the Facebook page on April 2, Ukraine Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar made the above information. The Russian side was not immediately available for comment.

In another development, peace talks between Ukraine and Russia appear to have made progress. According to Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia, the draft peace treaty texts have made enough progress to allow direct talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The Russian side confirms our position that the draft documents have been sufficiently developed to allow direct consultations between the leaders of the two countries,” he said. Mr. Arakhamia said. Russia has not yet commented on this possibility.

The information comes as Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry announced on April 2 that about 18,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the start of the military operation on February 24. Meanwhile, in the most recent update of the Russian Defense Ministry on the number of casualties in Ukraine, the number is much lower. On March 25, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that 1,351 Russian soldiers had been killed and 3,825 wounded since the start of the operation in Ukraine.

Moscow also reaffirmed that the military operation, which Russia said was aimed at “de-militarizing Ukraine”, destroyed Ukrainian military infrastructure, airports, command posts, weapons depots and equipment. “Ukrainian air force and air defense systems were almost completely destroyed.”

On March 29, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin announced that the army would drastically reduce its military activity around Kiev and Chernihiv as the two sides negotiate an agreement on Ukraine’s neutrality and non-nuclear status as well as other issues. security for Ukraine. This decision was made in order to create mutual trust, create necessary conditions for further dialogue between the two countries and achieve the ultimate goal of signing a peace agreement in Ukraine.

Speaking alongside Mr. Fomin, Russia’s chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, said the dialogue with Ukraine was in a constructive spirit and that Russia was taking two steps to de-escalate the conflict. Medinsky also suggested that the meeting between President Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could take place in parallel with the signing of a peace treaty.

Meanwhile, on April 1, Ukaine President Volodymyr Zelensky also said that Russian forces were gradually withdrawing from northern Ukraine, while a series of satellite images showed Russia withdrawing from an airport near Kiev.

“Russia is gradually withdrawing its forces from the north of our country. The withdrawal was slow but noticeable. In some places they were pushed back from hostilities. In other places they voluntarily leave their positions” – radio CNN quoted President Zelensky speaking via video.