(CNN)Russia said it would "drastically reduce" its military assault on the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Chernihiv after talks took place between representatives of the two nations on Tuesday that appeared to show signs of progress towards an off ramp to the conflict.
The Russian defense ministry has decided to "radically, at times, reduce military activity" in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv, deputy defense minister Alexander Fomin said, state media RIA reported. The ministry's Telegram channel also said that Moscow would "drastically reduce military activity" in the cities.
The announcement comes after Ukrainian and Western intelligence assessments suggested in recent days that Russia's advance on Kyiv was stalling.
Talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul, Turkey on Tuesday covered an array of important issues, including the future of the eastern Donbas region, the fate of Crimea, a broad alliance of security guarantors and a potential meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Fomin told reporters that the ongoing discussions regarding the "neutrality and non-nuclear status of Ukraine" had contributed to the decision. More details on the steps to reduce hostilities will follow after the Russian delegation returns from Istanbul, Fomin said in remarks carried by Russian state news agency TASS.
Despite the announcement, intense fighting continued around the suburbs of Kyiv on Tuesday afternoon, especially in the northwest and northeast of the city.
Ukraine echoed the announcement regarding the reduction in military action, saying some Russian troops were pulling back from Kyiv and Chernihiv.
"The Russian enemy did not meet the goal of its offensive operation," the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in an official Facebook update Tuesday, adding that "certain units" of Russia's military were withdrawing from battlefronts in the cities.
However it warned of a "high risk" of Russian troops attacking military and civilian infrastructure. The Russian military, it claimed, was struggling to reinforce and rotate in new soldiers, due to the "refusal of personnel to participate in the so-called special operation," and are "not able to staff even one battalion-tactical group."
Brig. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Agency, said Russia's operations around Kyiv had failed and it was now impossible for the Russian army to overthrow the Ukrainian government. Putin's war is now focused on the south and the east of the country, he said.
"There is reason to believe that he is considering a 'Korean' scenario for Ukraine," said Budanov. "That is, [Russian forces] will try to impose a dividing line between the unoccupied and occupied regions of our country. In fact, it is an attempt to create North and South Korea in Ukraine."
Still, enough progress was made during Tuesday's talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations to allow Putin and Zelensky to meet, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said.
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The regional government headquarters of Mykolaiv, Ukraine, is damaged following a Russian attack on Tuesday, March 29. At least nine people were killed, according to the Mykolaiv regional media office's Telegram channel.
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Russian and Ukrainian delegations meet in Istanbul for talks on March 29. Russia said it would "drastically reduce" its military assault on the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Chernihiv. The announcement came after Ukrainian and Western intelligence assessments recently suggested that Russia's advance on Kyiv was stalling. The talks also covered other important issues, including the future of the eastern Donbas region, the fate of Crimea, a broad alliance of security guarantors and a potential meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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A woman named Julia cries next to her 6-year-old daughter, Veronika, while talking to the press in Brovary, Ukraine, on March 29.
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An armored convoy of pro-Russian troops travel on a road leading to the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, on Monday, March 28.
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Firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a warehouse after it was hit by Russian shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on March 28.
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A volunteer weaves a bulletproof vest in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on March 28.
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Ukrainian evacuees ride on a bus at the Medyka border crossing in southeastern Poland on March 28.
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Ukrainian soldiers carry the coffins of Col. Yuriі Kozhukhar, 54, and Sgt. Kostiantyn Deriuhin, 44, during a funeral ceremony in Lviv, Ukraine, on Sunday, March 27.
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A woman lights a candle during the Sunday service at a monastery in Odesa, Ukraine, on March 27.
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A Ukrainian serviceman stands in a heavily damaged building in Stoyanka, Ukraine, on March 27.
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Orphaned children travel by train after fleeing the Russian-controlled town of Polohy, Ukraine, on Saturday, March 26.
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Smoke rises after Russian attacks hit a fuel storage facility in Kalynivka, Ukraine, on Friday, March 25.
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A firefighter holds a Ukrainian child who had just arrived by ferry at the Isaccea-Orlivka border crossing in Romania on March 25.
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A man recovers items from a burning shop following a Russian attack in Kharkiv on March 25.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses world leaders via video at the NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday, March 24. Zelensky stopped short of issuing his usual request for a no-fly zone, but he did say Ukraine needs fighter jets, tanks and better air defenses.
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A child holds a Ukrainian flag in front of the Taras Shevchenko monument as members of the Ukrainian National Guard band perform in Lviv on March 24.
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Pro-Russian troops drive armored vehicles past local residents into Mariupol on March 24.
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A firefighter sprays water inside a house that was destroyed by shelling in Kyiv on Wednesday, March 23.
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Pictures lie amid the rubble of a house in Kyiv on March 23.
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Svetlana Ilyuhina looks at the wreckage of her home in Kyiv following a Russian rocket attack on March 23. "First there was smoke, and then everything went black," she said.
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People hide in an underground shelter in Lviv on March 22.
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A woman cleans up a room March 21 in a building that was damaged by bombing in Kyiv.
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The Retroville shopping mall is seen in Kyiv after Russian shelling on March 21.
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People share dinner and sing "Happy Birthday" during a celebration in Kyiv on March 20. This studio space has turned into a bomb shelter for approximately 25 artists who are volunteering to help the war effort.
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Former Ukrainian Parliament member Tetiana Chornovol, now a service member and operator of an anti-tank guided missile system, examines a Russian tank she destroyed in a recent battle in the Kyiv region.
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People gather in a basement during an air raid in Lviv on March 19.
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A Ukrainian serviceman stands among debris after shelling in a residential area in Kyiv on March 18.
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US President Joe Biden holds a virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in this photo that was released by the White House on March 18. Biden sought to use the 110-minute call to dissuade Xi from assisting Russia in its war on Ukraine.
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Staff members attend to a child at a children's hospital in Zaporizhzhia on March 18.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a rally at a stadium in Moscow on March 18. Speaking from a stage in front of a banner that read "for a world without Nazism," Putin said Russia "will definitely implement all our plans" in Ukraine. He insisted that national unity was the strongest in a long time, even as many people flee Russia or protest against war in the streets. State workers were told by authorities to attend the celebration, which commemorated the eighth year of Russia's annexation of Crimea.
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A woman reacts while speaking outside a destroyed apartment block in Mariupol on March 17.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky receives a standing ovation as he virtually addresses the US Congress on March 16. The historic speech occurred as the United States is under pressure to provide more military assistance to the embattled country.
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An elderly woman is helped by police officers after she was rescued from an apartment that was hit by shelling in Kyiv on March 15.
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Firefighters work to extinguish flames at an apartment building in Kyiv on March 15.
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Military cadets attend a funeral ceremony at a church in Lviv on March 15. The funeral was for four of the Ukrainian servicemen who were killed during an airstrike on the Yavoriv military base near the Polish border. Local authorities say 35 people were killed.
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A woman walks past a damaged window to lay flowers at a makeshift memorial for victims in Donetsk, Ukraine, on March 15.
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Firefighters search a building for survivors after an attack in Kharkiv on March 14. At least one dead body was pulled from the rubble after hours of digging.
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Ukrainian soldiers take cover from incoming artillery fire in Irpin, Ukraine, on March 13.
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A Ukrainian soldier surveys a destroyed government building in Kharkiv on March 13.
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A mother and son rest in Lviv, Ukraine, while waiting to board a train to Poland on March 12.
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An explosion is seen at an apartment building in Mariupol on March 11. The city in southeastern Ukraine has been besieged by Russian forces.
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Mariana Vishegirskaya's husband, Yuri, holds their newborn daughter, Veronika, at a hospital in Mariupol on March 11. Vishegirskaya survived the maternity hospital bombing in the city earlier in the week.
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People pay their respects during a funeral service for three Ukrainian soldiers in Lviv on March 11. Senior Soldier Andrii Stefanyshyn, 39; Senior Lt. Taras Didukh, 25; and Sgt. Dmytro Kabakov, 58, were laid to rest at the Saints Peter and Paul Garrison Church. Even in this sacred space, the sounds of war intruded: an air raid siren audible under the sound of prayer and weeping. Yet no one stirred. Residents are now inured to the near-daily warnings of an air attack.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gives a news conference after meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Antalya, Turkey, on March 10. Two weeks into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Lavrov falsely claimed that his country "did not attack" its neighbor.
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A resident takes shelter in a basement in Irpin on March 10. Due to heavy fighting, Irpin has been without heat, water or electricity for several days.
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Emergency workers carry an injured pregnant woman outside of a bombed maternity hospital in Mariupol on March 9. The woman and her baby later died, a surgeon who was treating her confirmed. The attack came despite Russia agreeing to a 12-hour pause in hostilities to allow refugees to evacuate.
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Ukrainian servicemen work inside the damaged maternity hospital in Mariupol on March 9. "The destruction is enormous," the city council said. "The building of the medical facility where the children were treated recently is completely destroyed."
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Dead bodies are placed into a mass grave on the outskirts of Mariupol on March 9. With overflowing morgues and repeated shelling, the city has been unable to hold proper burials.
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Cars drive past a destroyed Russian tank as civilians leave Irpin on March 9. A Ukrainian official said lines of vehicles stretched for miles as people tried to escape fighting in districts to the north and northwest of Kyiv.
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A displaced Ukrainian mother embraces her child while waiting at the Przemysl railway station in Poland on March 8.
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A Ukrainian serviceman walks past the remains of a Russian aircraft lying in a damaged building in Kharkiv on March 8.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is displayed on a screen as he addresses British lawmakers via video on March 8. "We will not give up and we will not lose. We will fight until the end at sea, in the air. We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost," he said in his comments translated by an interpreter. The House of Commons gave Zelensky a standing ovation at the end of his address.
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A firefighter works to extinguish flames after a chemical warehouse was reportedly hit by Russian shelling near Kalynivka on March 8.
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Alexandra, 12, holds her 6-year-old sister, Esyea, who cries as she waves at her mother, Irina, on March 7. The children were leaving Odesa.
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Members of the Red Cross help people fleeing the Kyiv suburb of Irpin on March 7.
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The dead bodies of civilians killed while trying to flee are covered by sheets in Irpin on March 6. CNN determined they were killed in a Russian military strike.
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Civilians seek protection in a basement bomb shelter in Kyiv on March 6.
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Local residents help clear the rubble of a home that was destroyed by a suspected Russian airstrike in Markhalivka, Ukraine, on March 5.
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George Keburia says goodbye to his wife and children as they board a train in Odesa on March 5. They were heading to Lviv.
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A statue is covered in Lviv on March 5. Residents wrapped statues in protective sheets to try to safeguard historic monuments across the city.
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Ukrainians crowd under a destroyed bridge as they try to flee across the Irpin River on the outskirts of Kyiv on March 5.
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Marina Yatsko runs behind her boyfriend, Fedor, as they arrive at the hospital with her 18-month-old son, Kirill, who was wounded by shelling in Mariupol on March 4. Medical workers frantically tried to save the boy's life, but he didn't survive.
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People remove personal belongings from a burning house after shelling in Irpin on March 4.
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Oksana and her son Dmytro stand over the open casket of her husband, Volodymyr Nezhenets, during his funeral in Kyiv on March 4. According to the Washington Post, he was a member of Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces, which is comprised mostly of volunteers.
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People crowd on a platform as they try to board a westbound train in Kyiv on March 4.
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A bullet-ridden bus is seen after an ambush in Kyiv on March 4.
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People take shelter on the floor of a hospital during shelling in Mariupol on March 4.
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A member of the Ukrainian military gives instructions to civilians in Irpin on March 4. They were about to board an evacuation train headed to Kyiv.
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Surveillance camera footage shows a flare landing at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Enerhodar, Ukraine, during shelling on March 4. Ukrainian authorities said Russian forces have "occupied" the power plant.
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A Ukrainian child rests on a bed at a temporary refugee center in Záhony, Hungary, on March 4.
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A residential building destroyed by shelling is seen in Borodyanka, Ukraine, on March 3. Russian forces have shown a "willingness to hit civilian infrastructure on purpose," a senior US defense official told reporters.
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Leos Leonid recovers at a hospital in Kyiv on March 3. The 64-year-old survived being crushed when an armored vehicle drove over his car. Video of the incident was widely shared on social media.
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A Ukrainian soldier carries a baby across a destroyed bridge on the outskirts of Kyiv on March 3.
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Residents react in front of a burning building after shelling in Kharkiv on March 3.
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A Ukrainian soldier who says he was shot three times in the opening days of the invasion sits on a hospital bed in Kyiv on March 3.
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People form a human chain to transfer supplies into Kyiv on March 3.
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A cemetery worker digs graves for Ukrainian soldiers in Kyiv on March 3.
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A mother cares for her two infant sons in the underground shelter of a maternity hospital in Kyiv on March 3. She gave birth a day earlier, and she and her husband haven't yet decided on names for the twins.
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A member of Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces sits with a weapon in Kyiv on March 2.
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Paramedics treat an elderly woman wounded by shelling before transferring her to a hospital in Mariupol on March 2.
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Residents of Zhytomyr, Ukraine, work in the remains of a residential building on March 2. The building was destroyed by shelling.
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A woman reads a story to children while they take shelter in a subway station in Kyiv on March 2.
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A member of Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces inspects damage in the backyard of a house in Gorenka on March 2.
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A Ukrainian woman takes her children over the border in Siret, Romania, on March 2. Many Ukrainians are fleeing the country at a pace that could turn into "Europe's largest refugee crisis this century," the United Nations Refugee Agency said.
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Militia members set up anti-tank barricades in Kyiv on March 2.
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People wait at a train station in Kyiv on March 2.
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People shelter in a subway station in Kyiv on March 2.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky poses for a picture in a Kyiv bunker after an exclusive interview with CNN and Reuters on March 1. Zelensky said that as long as Moscow's attacks on Ukrainian cities continued, little progress could be made in talks between the two nations. "It's important to stop bombing people, and then we can move on and sit at the negotiation table," he said.
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An explosion is seen at a TV tower in Kyiv on March 1. Russian forces fired rockets near the tower and struck a Holocaust memorial site in Kyiv hours after warning of "high-precision" strikes on other facilities linked to Ukrainian security agencies.
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Ukrainian soldiers attend Mass at an Orthodox monastery in Kyiv on March 1.
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Medical workers show a mother her newborn after she gave birth at a maternity hospital in Mariupol on March 1. The hospital is now also used as a medical ward and bomb shelter.
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An administrative building is seen in Kharkiv after Russian shelling on March 1. Russian forces have scaled up their bombardment of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.
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Ukrainian emergency workers carry a body of a victim following shelling that hit the City Hall building in Kharkiv on March 1.
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A woman named Helen comforts her 8-year-old daughter, Polina, in the bomb shelter of a Kyiv children's hospital on March 1. The girl was at the hospital being treated for encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain.
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Ukrainian refugees try to stay warm at the Medyka border crossing in Poland on March 1.
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Volunteers in Kyiv sign up to join Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces on February 28.
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A member of the Territorial Defense Forces loads rifle magazines in Kyiv on February 28.
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Delegations from Russia and Ukraine hold talks in Belarus on February 28. Both sides discussed a potential "ceasefire and the end of combat actions on the territory of Ukraine," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhaylo Podolyak told reporters. Without going into detail, Podolyak said that both sides would return to their capitals for consultations over whether to implement a number of "decisions."
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Ukrainian forces order a man to the ground on February 28 as they increased security measures amid Russian attacks in Kyiv.
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A displaced Ukrainian cradles her child at a temporary shelter set up inside a gymnasium in Beregsurány, Hungary, on February 28.
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Russian infantry mobility vehicles are destroyed after fighting in Kharkiv on February 28. A residential neighborhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, was hit by a rocket attack, according to Ukrainian officials and multiple social media videos geolocated by CNN. A civilian was killed and 31 people were wounded, the city's council said.
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The lifeless body of a 6-year-old girl, who according to the Associated Press was killed by Russian shelling in a residential area, lies on a medical cart at a hospital in Mariupol on February 27. The girl, whose name was not immediately known, was rushed to the hospital but could not be saved.
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Smoke billows over the Ukrainian city of Vasylkiv, just outside Kyiv on February 27. A fire at an oil storage area was seen raging at the Vasylkiv Air Base.
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People wait on a platform inside the railway station in Lviv on February 27. Thousands of people at Lviv's main train station attempted to board trains that would take them out of Ukraine.
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A Russian armored vehicle burns after fighting in Kharkiv on February 27. Street fighting broke out as Russian troops entered Ukraine's second-largest city, and residents were urged to stay in shelters and not travel.
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Local residents prepare Molotov cocktails in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, on February 27.
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Cars line up on the road outside Mostyska, Ukraine, as people attempt to flee to Poland on February 27.
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Ukrainian troops in Kyiv escort a prisoner February 27 who they suspected of being a Russian agent.
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Ukrainian forces patrol mostly empty streets in Kyiv on February 27. Mayor Vitali Klitschko extended a citywide curfew.
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Ukrainian service members take position at the Vasylkiv Air Base near Kyiv on February 27.
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A woman sleeps on chairs February 27 in the underground parking lot of a Kyiv hotel that has been turned into a bomb shelter.
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A damaged residential building is seen in Kyiv on February 26.
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People in Kyiv run for cover during shelling on February 26.
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An apartment building in Kyiv is seen after it was damaged by shelling on February 26. The outer walls of several apartment units appeared to be blown out entirely, with the interiors blackened and debris hanging loose.
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People in Kyiv take cover as an air-raid siren sounds February 26 near an apartment building that was damaged by shelling.
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A police vehicle patrols the streets of Kyiv on February 26.
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Ukrainian troops inspect a site following a Russian airstrike in Kyiv on February 26.
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Following a national directive to help complicate the invading Russian Army's attempts to navigate, a road worker removes signs near Pisarivka, Ukraine, on February 26.
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A man kneels in front of a Russian tank in Bakhmach, Ukraine, on February 26 as Ukrainian citizens attempted to stop the tank from moving forward. The dramatic scene was captured on video, and CNN confirmed its authenticity. The moment drew comparisons to the iconic "Tank Man" of Tiananmen Square.
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People in Kyiv board a train heading to the west of the country on February 26. Kelly Clements, the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, told CNN that more than 120,000 people had left Ukraine while 850,000 were internally displaced.
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Ukrainian service members look for and collect unexploded shells after fighting in Kyiv on February 26.
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Smoke and flames are seen near Kyiv on February 26. Explosions were seen and heard in parts of the capital as Ukrainians battled to hold back advancing Russian troops.
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The body of a Russian soldier lies next to a Russian vehicle outside Kharkiv on February 25.
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A woman weeps in her car after crossing the border from Ukraine into Sighetu Marmatiei, Romania, on February 25.
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A Ukrainian soldier sits injured from crossfire inside Kyiv on February 25.
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A child from Ukraine sleeps in a tent at a humanitarian center in Palanca, Moldova, on February 25.
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A firefighter walks between the ruins of a downed aircraft in Kyiv on February 25.
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Newly married couple Yaryna Arieva and Sviatoslav Fursin pose for photo in Kyiv on February 25 after they joined the Territorial Defense Forces.
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Members of the Ukrainian National Guard take positions in central Kyiv on February 25.
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People walk past a residential building in Kyiv that was hit in an alleged Russian airstrike on February 25.
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The body of a school employee, who according to locals was killed in recent shelling, lies in the separatist-controlled town of Horlivka in Ukraine's Donetsk region on February 25.
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Kyiv residents take shelter in an underground parking garage on February 25.
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In this handout photo from the Ukrainian government, firefighters respond to the scene of a residential building on fire in Kyiv on February 25. Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, said the city had been hit by "cruise or ballistic missiles."
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A wounded woman stands outside a hospital after an attack on the eastern Ukrainian town of Chuhuiv, outside of Kharkiv, on February 24.
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The body of a rocket remains in an apartment after shelling on the northern outskirts of Kharkiv on February 24.
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A boy plays with his tablet in a public basement used as a bomb shelter in Kyiv on February 24.
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A man mourns after an airstrike reportedly hit an apartment complex in Chuhuiv on February 24.
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Sviatoslav Fursin, left, and Yaryna Arieva kneel during their wedding ceremony at the St. Michael's Cathedral in Kyiv on February 24. They had planned on getting married in May, but they rushed to tie the knot due to the attacks by Russian forces. "We maybe can die, and we just wanted to be together before all of that," Arieva said.
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Ukrainian service members sit atop armored vehicles driving in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region on February 24.
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People in Kyiv try to board a bus to travel west toward Poland on February 24.
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US President Joe Biden arrives in the East Room of the White House to address the Russian invasion on February 24. "Putin is the aggressor. Putin chose this war. And now he and his country will bear the consequences," Biden said, laying out a set of measures that will "impose severe cost on the Russian economy, both immediately and over time."
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Smoke rises from a military airport in Chuhuiv on February 24. Airports were also hit in Boryspil, Kharkiv, Ozerne, Kulbakino, Kramatorsk and Chornobaivka.
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People seek shelter inside a subway station in Kharkiv on February 24.
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Russian military vehicles are seen at the Chernobyl power plant near Pripyat, Ukraine, on February 24. Russian forces have seized control of the the plant, the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster, according to the agency that manages the area.
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People wait after boarding a bus to leave Kyiv on February 24.
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Ukrainian President Zelensky holds an emergency meeting in Kyiv on February 24. In a video address, Zelensky announced that he was introducing martial law. He urged people to remain calm.
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Police officers inspect the remains of a missile that landed in Kyiv on February 24.
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A staff member of a Kyiv hotel talks on the phone on February 24.
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Smoke rises from an air defense base after an apparent Russian strike in Mariupol on February 24. A CNN team in Mariupol reported hearing a barrage of artillery.
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People wait in line to buy train tickets at the central station in Kyiv on February 24.
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A long line of cars is seen exiting Kyiv on February 24. Heavy traffic appeared to be heading west, away from where explosions were heard early in the morning.
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A photo provided by the Ukrainian President's office appears to show an explosion in Kyiv early on February 24.
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People in Moscow watch a televised address by Russian President Vladimir Putin as he announces a military operation in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine on February 24. "Whoever tries to interfere with us, and even more so to create threats to our country, to our people, should know that Russia's response will be immediate and will lead you to such consequences as you have never experienced in your history," he said.
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An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council is held in New York to discuss the crisis on February 23. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop "attacking Ukraine" and to give peace a chance.
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A convoy of Russian military vehicles is seen February 23 in the Rostov region of Russia, which runs along Ukraine's eastern border.
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Ukrainian soldiers talk in a shelter at the front line near Svitlodarsk, Ukraine, on February 23.
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Smoke rises from a damaged power plant in Shchastya that Ukrainian authorities say was hit by shelling on February 22.
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A damaged house is worked on after shelling near the Ukrainian front-line city of Novoluhanske on February 22.
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Mourners gather at a church in Kyiv on February 22 for the funeral of Ukrainian Army Capt. Anton Sydorov. The Ukrainian military said he was killed by a shrapnel wound on February 19 after several rounds of artillery fire were directed at Ukrainian positions near Myronivske.
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Ukrainian soldiers pay their respects during Sydorov's funeral in Kyiv on February 22.
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A sign displays conversion rates at a currency exchange kiosk in Kyiv on February 22. Global markets tumbled the day after Putin ordered troops into parts of eastern Ukraine.
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Russian howitzers are loaded onto train cars near Taganrog, Russia, on February 22.
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People who left a separatist-held region in eastern Ukraine watch an address by Putin from their hotel room in Taganrog, Russia, on February 21. Putin blasted Kyiv's growing security ties with the West, and in lengthy remarks about the history of the USSR and the formation of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic, he appeared to cast doubt on Ukraine's right to self-determination.
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Putin signs decrees recognizing the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic in a ceremony in Moscow on February 21. Earlier in the day, the heads of the self-proclaimed pro-Russian republics requested the Kremlin leader recognize their independence and sovereignty. Members of Putin's Security Council supported the initiative in a meeting earlier in the day.
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Protesters demanding economic sanctions against Russia stand outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv on February 21. Only a small number of protesters showed up to demonstrate.
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Activists hold a performance in front of the Russian embassy in Kyiv on February 21 in support of prisoners who were arrested in Crimea. They say the red doors are a symbol of the doors that were kicked in to search and arrest Crimean Tatars, a Muslim ethnic minority.
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Ukrainian servicemen shop in the front-line town of Avdiivka, Ukraine, on February 21.
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People lay flowers at the Motherland Monument in Kyiv on February 21.
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A local resident shows the depth of a crater from shelling in a field behind his house in the village of Tamarchuk, Ukraine, on February 20.
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Ukrainian service members are seen along the front line outside of Popasna, Ukraine, on February 20.
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People evacuated from the pro-Russian separatist regions of Ukraine are seen at a temporary shelter in Taganrog, Russia, on February 20.
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Anastasia Manha lulls her 2-month-old son Mykyta after alleged shelling by separatists forces in Novohnativka, Ukraine, on February 20.
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A Ukrainian soldier stays on position on the front line near Novohnativka on February 20.
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A couple arrives at the city council to get married in Odesa on February 20. As Ukrainian authorities reported further ceasefire violations and top Western officials warned about an impending conflict, life went on in other parts of the country.
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Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskiy, left, visits soldiers at a front-line position in Novoluhanske on February 19. Minutes after he left, the position came under fire. No one was injured.
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A woman rests in a car near a border checkpoint in Avilo-Uspenka, Russia, on February 19.
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A Ukrainian service member walks by a building on February 19 that was hit by mortar fire in the front-line village of Krymske, Ukraine.
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Fighter jets fly over Belarus during a joint military exercise the country held with Russia on February 19.
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Ukrainian soldiers stand guard at a military command center in Novoluhanske on February 19.
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People sit on a bus in Donetsk on February 18 after they were ordered to evacuate to Russia by pro-Russian separatists.
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The remains of a military vehicle are seen in a parking lot outside a government building following an explosion in Donetsk on February 18. Ukrainian and US officials said the vehicle explosion was a staged attack designed to stoke tensions in eastern Ukraine.
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A memorial service and candlelight vigil is held at the St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv on February 18. They honored those who died in 2014 while protesting against the government of President Viktor Yanukovych, a pro-Russian leader who later fled the country.
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A kindergarten that officials say was damaged by shelling is seen in Stanytsia Luhanska, Ukraine, on February 17. No lives were lost, but it was a stark reminder of the stakes for people living near the front lines that separate Ukrainian government forces from Russian-backed separatists.
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Children play on old Soviet tanks in front of the Motherland Monument in Kyiv on February 16.
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Ambassadors of European countries lay roses at the Wall of Remembrance in Kyiv on February 16. The wall contains the names and photographs of military members who have died since the conflict with Russian-backed separatists began in 2014.
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US troops walk on the tarmac at the Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport in southeastern Poland on February 16. US paratroopers landed in Poland as part of a deployment of several thousand sent to bolster NATO's eastern flank in response to tensions with Russia.
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A 200-meter-long Ukrainian flag is unfolded at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv on February 16 to mark a "Day of Unity," an impromptu celebration declared by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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Travelers wait in line to check in to their departing flights February 15 at the Boryspil International Airport outside Kyiv. US President Joe Biden urged Americans in Ukraine to leave the country, warning that "things could go crazy quickly" in the region.
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A location of Oschadbank, a state-owned bank, is seen in Kyiv on February 15. The websites of Oschadbank and PrivatBank, the country's two largest banks, were hit by cyberattacks that day, as were the websites of Ukraine's defense ministry and army, according to Ukrainian government agencies.
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A woman and child walk underneath a military monument in Senkivka, Ukraine, on February 14. It's on the outskirts of the Three Sisters border crossing between Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.
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Ukrainian service members talk at a front-line position in eastern Ukraine on February 14.
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Members of Ukraine's National Guard look out a window as they ride a bus through the capital of Kyiv on February 14.
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Satellite images taken on February 13 by Maxar Technologies revealed that dozens of helicopters had appeared at a previously vacant airbase in Russian-occupied Crimea.
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Pro-Russian separatists observe the movement of Ukrainian troops from trenches in Ukraine's Donbas area on February 11.
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Ukrainian service members unpack Javelin anti-tank missiles that were delivered to Kyiv on February 10 as part of a US military support package for Ukraine.
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Ukrainian service members walk on an armored fighting vehicle during a training exercise in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region on February 10.
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Speaking in Istanbul after the talks between the two sides ended, Podolyak said there was now a "likelihood" that the two presidents may meet. "We have documents prepared now which allow the presidents to meet on a bilateral basis," he said.
Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti, citing the Russian delegation, also reported the possibility of a meeting between Putin and Zelensky. The head of the Russian delegation, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, called the negotiations "constructive," RIA reported.
Podolyak also said that talks between the two parties will "continue online 24/7," adding that Ukraine needs "clear legal wording."
He referred to talks about the status of Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.
"It was agreed in bilateral format to take a pause for 15 years and conduct bilateral talks on the status of these territories (Crimea and Sevastopol)," he said.
Ukraine and the West have refused to recognize the Russian annexation of the Crimean peninsula, and the pause could be a formula for taking the issue off the table for now.
Podolyak added that they had separately discussed that "no military hostilities" take place over those 15 years.
The issue of security guarantees was also discussed. Another member of the Ukrainian team, Davyd Arakhamia said, "We insist that this be an international treaty, signing all the guarantors of security, which will be ratified." This would be comparable to NATO's Article 5, which enshrines the principle of collective defense, he said.
Podolyak also said that both sides are still "discussing a humanitarian ceasefire," stressing there are "many places where humanitarian corridors are needed."
Over 3.9 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the start of the war, according to UNHCR.
A Ukrainian serviceman stands near the wreck of a Russian tank on the front lines in the Kyiv region, Ukraine on March 28.
Chernihiv, which lies about halfway between Kyiv and the Russian border, has endured intense shelling in recent weeks. Videos geolocated by CNN show heavy damage in civilian areas.
On Saturday, Chernihiv Mayor Vladyslav Atroshenko announced the city was surrounded by Russian forces, leaving no safe pathways in or out.
He told CNN on Tuesday that between 300 and 400 people, mostly civilians, had been killed in the last three weeks.
"We don't have the exact figure because we can only count those who died in a hospital, but if people die from an explosion, we cannot always identify them," Atroshenko said.
Shifting strategies
The United States also believes Russia is executing a major strategy shift and withdrawing some forces from the area around Kyiv, two senior US officials told CNN on Tuesday.
The Russian forces are now pulling back in some areas of the north to focus on gains in the south and east, the US believes. The US has already observed these movements underway, including Russian Battalion Tactical Groups (BTGs) leaving the surrounding areas around Kyiv, according to the US intelligence.
In the US view, this is not a short-term adjustment to regroup, but a longer-term move as Russia comes to grips with failure to advance in the north.
The US assesses Russia will cover their retreat with air and artillery bombardment of the capital, one of the officials said. US officials caution that Russia could always reverse again if the battle conditions allow.
Russia's suggestion of a reduction in its military action was met with cynicism in the West.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had not seen signs the talks between the two sides were "moving forward in an effective way."
"There is what Russia says, and there is what Russia does. We're focused on the latter," Blinken said.
The UK agreed with those sentiments, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman saying on Tuesday that Britain will judge Russia by its actions rather than words and that they do not want to see anything less than a "complete withdrawal" of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory.
Meanwhile, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu said "consensus and common understanding" was reached between the opposing delegations on some issues, hailing progress made in particular on the "top priority of achieving a ceasefire as soon as possible to pave the way for a permanent political solution."
The "trickier" issues are now to be discussed at higher levels, with a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian Foreign Ministers to "make final adjustments to the common approach," he said.
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Russia says it will reduce military operations around Kyiv following talks with Ukraine - CNN
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