The outlines of a possible deal to end the grinding war came into view at the latest round of talks.
At the conference in Istanbul, the delegation from Ukraine laid out a framework under which the country would declare itself neutral and its security would be guaranteed by other nations.
The negotiations are expected to resume Wednesday, five weeks into what has turned into a bloody war of attrition, with thousands dead and almost 4 million Ukrainians fleeing the country.
Ukrainian museums are racing to save artifacts.
Russian Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said that Moscow has decided to cut back military activity in the direction of the two countries.
He didn't say what that would mean in practical terms.
The announcement was met with skepticism.
Zelenskyy said that Russia cannot be trusted. He said in a video address that the signals from the talks are positive, but can't silence the explosions of Russian shells.
Zelenskyy said that the invading army still has a great potential to continue, so we shouldn't let down our guard.
He said that officials don't trust the word of the country that is fighting to destroy us.
Moscow portrayed it as a goodwill gesture, but its ground troops have become bogged down and have taken heavy losses in their bid to seize Kyiv and other cities. The main goal of the war, according to the Kremlin, is to gain control of the mostly Russian-speaking Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.
President Joe Biden was asked if the Russian announcement was a sign of progress in the talks or an attempt by Moscow to buy time to continue its assault. I don't read anything into it until I see what their actions are.
Russian indications of a withdrawal could be an attempt by Moscow to deceive people and distract attention, according to the U.S. Secretary of State.
The war on Ukraine has a growing global impact.
It wouldn't be the first time. The Russian military announced in the run up to the invasion that some units were loading equipment onto rail cars and returning to their bases after completing exercises. Putin was interested in diplomacy. Russia invaded 10 days later.
Western officials say that Moscow is trying to encircle the forces of Ukraine. Russia continues to siege the south, with civilians trapped in the ruins of Mariupol and other bombarded cities. The latest satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies showed hundreds of people waiting outside of a grocery store.
There is both what Russia says and what Russia does, and we are focused on the latter.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces blasted a gaping hole in a nine-story government administration building in a strike on the southern port city of Mykolaiv, killing at least 12 people, emergency authorities said. More bodies were found in the rubble.
It's terrible. Vitaliy Kim said they waited for people to go to work before striking the building. I'm lucky.
John Kirby said the U.S. has detected small numbers of Russian ground forces moving away from the area.
He said it was too early to say how extensive the Russian moves will be or where the troops will be redeployed.
Kirby said the threat to Kyiv is not over.
Rob Lee, a military expert at the U.S.-based Foreign Policy Research Institute, said that the Russian announcement sounds like more of an acknowledgment of the situation around Kyiv. Russia does not have the forces to encircle the city.
The first face-to-face talks between Russia and Ukraine in two weeks took place in Istanbul. In the past, talks were held in person or by video.
The Kremlin has demanded that the Ukrainians drop their hopes of joining NATO.
A group of third countries, including the US, Britain, France, Turkey, China and Poland, would guarantee the security of a neutral Ukraine in a peace deal similar to NATO.
The future of the peninsula was seized by Russia in 2014, and Ukraine said it would be willing to hold talks over a 15-year period.
On Russian TV, the head of the Russian delegation said that the Ukrainian proposals were a step to meet us halfway.
Ukrainians don't blame Putin for the war. They blame Russians.
He said that the parties are far from reaching an agreement, but that they know how to compromise. We are not just marking time in talks.
In other developments.
The Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Ireland and North Macedonia all expelled Russian diplomats.
The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog arrived in Ukraine to make sure the country's nuclear facilities are safe. The site of the world's worst nuclear accident, the Chernobyl plant, has been taken over by Russian forces.
Russia has destroyed more than 60 religious buildings across the country in just over a month of war, with most of the damage concentrated in the east, according to the Ukrainian military.
The room at the Istanbul talks was occupied by Roman Abramovich, a Putin ally who has been sanctioned by Britain and the European Union. The owner of the soccer team has been approved by both countries to be an unofficial mediator, according to the Kremlin spokesman. There are reports that he may have been poisoned during an earlier round of talks.
Over the past few days, Ukrainian forces have reclaimed ground on the outskirts of Kyiv and other areas.
The Ukrainian soldiers gathered in a trench to take pictures with the general who said that they had regained control of a large part of Irpin.
The commander in charge of the defense of Kyiv said that they defend their motherland because they have high spirits.
The landscape of Russian bodies, burned and twisted tanks and charred buildings was left by Ukrainian forces after they took back Trostyanets.
I escaped from Ukraine for safety. Part of me is still there.
Western officials say that Putin's ground forces have been hampered by a number of problems, including poor morale, shortages of food, fuel and cold weather gear, and tactical mistakes.
Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that Moscow's main objective is to liberate Donbas.
It has raised Ukrainian fears that the Kremlin wants to split the country and force it to surrender a swath of its territory.
Karmanau was reporting from Lviv, Ukraine. The Associated Press journalists contributed to the report.
We can be reached at letters@time.com.
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