Attacks on northern Ukraine to scale back, Russia says, but what about Donbas region
MARIUPOL, UKRAINE - MARCH 20: Civilians trapped in Mariupol city under Russian attacks, are evacuated in groups under the control of pro-Russian separatists, through other cities, in Mariupol, Ukraine on March 20, 2022. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Age
Detroit, Fox 2 - Russian negotiators are talking ‘deescalation' steps today, when announced it would scale back military activity near Kyiv.
After weeks long negotiations between, Moscow and Kyiv for a cease-fire in Ukraine, this marked a tentative first sign of potential progress.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Istanbul today for the first face-to-face talks in weeks. Russian representatives called the talks 'constructive', suggesting that a meeting of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, could take place once both sides had agreed to a draft peace deal.
Though skeptics wonder if it is a sign of progress, or a reveal of Russia's real target goal in Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that Russia is focused on the Donbas regions, which U.S. officials say tracks with the heavy fighting they've seen there for the past several days. The Donbas is the site of two key regions, Luhansk and Donetsk. These regions have been heavily contested by Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists since 2014, shortly after the annexation of Crimea.
REALTED: 300 dead in Russian airstrike on theater in Mariupol, officials say
There has also been heavy combat in Mariupol, a coastal city south of Donbas. According to U.S. officials, this is part of a Russian effort to take full control of the region, as it would cut Ukrainian forces off from helping elsewhere, such as Kyiv.
Last week, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made a rare appearance on state television, announcing Russian forces had successfully completed the ‘first phase; of its ’main goal': the liberation of Donbas. This aligned with earlier signs from Moscow that its priority in Ukraine might be shifting toward maintaining a hold over the eastern Donbas region, thus appearing to pause their efforts around the capital of Kyiv.