Enough progress at talks today to resolve conflict with Russia : Ukrainian negotiator David

Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia on Tuesday said enough progress had been made at talks today in Turkey to resolve the conflict with Russia to enable a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, reported news agency AFP

"The results of today's meeting are sufficient for a meeting at the leaders' level," Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia said.A Russian negotiator, meanwhile, welcomed the "meaningful" progress with Ukrainian representatives at peace talks in Istanbul.

Meanwhile, Russia's military today said it would "fundamentally" cut back operations near Ukraine's capital and a northern city.

Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said the move was meant to increase trust in the talks after several rounds of failed negotiations to halt the conflict that has devolved into a bloody campaign of attrition.

Fomin said Moscow had decided to "fundamentally ... cut back military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv" to "increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations." That appeared to be a goodwill gesture, but also comes as Russia's troops have become bogged down and struggled to make major advances on the ground recently in the face of stiff Ukrainian resistance, thwarting Putin's aim of a quick military victory.

Ukraine's military said it had noted withdrawals around Kyiv and Chernihiv, though the Pentagon said it could not corroborate Russia's claim