The statement comes as Russian forces have largely retreated from the area around Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will likely meet for face-to-face peace talks soon in Turkey, a Ukrainian official involved in the wartime negotiations said Saturday. Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia told a local TV station that the two leaders could soon meet as draft peace-treaty documents reach an advanced stage, reported the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency. Arakhamia said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “called both us and Vladimir Putin yesterday, and he seemed to confirm for his part that they were ready to organize a meeting in the near future.” “Neither the date nor the place is known, but we believe that the place with a high degree of probability will be Istanbul or Ankara,” he continued. The announcement came on the same day that Russian forces largely retreated from the area around Kyiv. Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said Saturday that the entire region is now free from the Russian military, stating on Facebook: “Irpin, Bucha, Hostomel and the whole Kyiv region were liberated from the invader!” The withdrawal came after Russian troops were met with fierce opposition from Ukrainian forces determined to keep hold of the capital.
