Russian and Ukrainian negotiators on Sunday said that there has been progress in talks to potentially end the more than two-week-long conflict, with results coming in days.
“To clarify. At the negotiations, the [Russian Federation]” is not making “ultimatums” but is instead “carefully” listening to Ukraine’s proposals, said Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Twitter.
The Kyiv government, he added, is continuing to demand to “end of the war and the withdrawal of [Russian] troops,” noting there is “understanding” and “a dialogue” with Russia.
“I think that we will achieve some results literally in a matter of days,” he said, according to comments he delivered in an accompanying Twitter video.
On Russia’s side, Leonid Slutsky, a member of the delegation and head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, was quoted by state-run RIA Novosti as saying that “significant progress” has been made after Sunday’s talks.
“According to my personal expectations, this progress may grow in the coming days into a joint position of both delegations, into documents for signing,” Slutsky said, according to a translation. A potential agreement between the parties might “save many people” and reduce tensions in the near future, he continued.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine indicated what the scope of the agreement could be. No details were provided.
Three previous rounds of negotiations produced few results. Last week, Ukraine and Russia agreed to establish humanitarian and evacuation corridors for civilians in several areas, although both sides accused one another of firing on people.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said on Sunday that Moscow was showing signs of willingness to carry out more significant talks to end the conflict.
Sanctions and other forms of economic pressure are “beginning to have some effect. We are seeing some signs to have real, serious negotiations,” Sherman told Fox News. Objectives of the talks include a bid “to get a ceasefire in the first instance, to get humanitarian [corridors], and to end this invasion,” she continued.
Earlier in the day, however, Ukrainian officials accused Russia of carrying out airstrikes on a military training base just 12 miles from the Polish border, as Western officials described the incident as an escalation.
On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told state media that there were “positive shifts” in the talks, but he did not elaborate.
A day later, President Joe Biden sent a memorandum to the State Department authorizing that $200 million in weapons and military training be provided to Ukraine’s forces. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed that the Department of Defense is working to send additional military equipment and weapons.
Fighting across the country, meanwhile, has repeatedly raised the specter of nuclear accidents, as fighting occurred around nuclear power plants.
On Sunday, Ukraine said it restored a broken power line to the decommissioned Chernobyl plant, scene of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986. The plant was knocked off the grid last week and relying on generators. That raised concerns about its ability to keep spent fuel cool, though the International Atomic Energy Agency downplayed those worries.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times
