Russia says it will ‘radically’ reduce military activity near Ukraine capital Kyiv

Chief Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said there had been a “meaningful discussion” at peace talks.

Russia will “radically” reduce its military activity in northern Ukraine, including near the capital Kyiv, after “meaningful” talks in Istanbul, Moscow’s negotiators said Tuesday.

“Given that the talks on the preparation of an agreement on the neutrality and non-nuclear status of Ukraine have moved into a practical field... a decision has been made to radically... reduce the military activity in the areas of Kyiv and Chernigiv,” Russia’s deputy defence minister Alexander Fomin said.

Chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said there had been a “meaningful discussion” at the talks and that Ukrainian proposals would be put to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He also said that Putin could meet Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. “After today’s meaningful discussion we have agreed on and propose a solution, according to which the meeting of the heads of state is possible simultaneously with the foreign ministers initialling the treaty,” Medinsky added.

A Ukrainian soldier stands in front of a destroyed Russian armoured personnel carrier in a village on the frontline of the northern part of Kyiv region. Photo by Anatolii Stepanov / AFP

Rescuers clear the rubble of a warehouse containing more than 50,000 tons of deep-frozen food in the town of Brovary, north of Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Photo by Genya SAVILOV / AFP

“On the condition of quick work on the agreement and finding the required compromise, the possibility to make peace will become much closer,” he said.

A spokesman for the Ukrainian government said the talks could lead to Putin and Zelensky holding face-to-face talks.

A Kyiv spokesman said they could adopt neutral status and rule out joining military alliances, like NATO, or host military bases for foreign powers.

Roman Abramovic was present at the talks, just a day after it was claimed that he shoed symptoms of being poisoned following earlier discussions.

The Kremlin denied that he had been poisioned and added that the Chelsea FC owner was part of their delegation.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials were instructed not to eat or drink anything during negotiations in case their food was laced with poison.

The Sun reported that Mr Abramovich “went blind for hours and his skin peeled off“ after the incident earlier this month.

Mr Abramovich has been shuttling back and forth between Moscow and Lviv in western Ukraine since the start of the war. He’s said to have been playing a semi-official role in both peace talks and attempts for a humanitarian corridor from the besieged port city of Mariupol.

It isn’t known whether the suspected attack was caused by a biological or chemical agent or some sort of electromagnetic-radiation attack.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has met with Mr Abramovich in recent weeks, was reportedly unaffected.

Mr Abramovich handed Putin a handwritten note from Mr Zelensky just days ago.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo by Mikhail KLIMENTYEV / SPUTNIK / AFP)