Ukraine-Russia Talks Show Signs Of Progress, But Western Leaders, Zelenskiy Skeptical

Russia and Ukraine appeared to make progress in their first face-to-face talks in more than two weeks, with Moscow saying it was scaling down its military operations around Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv, but Western allies expressed skepticism and warned that the threat is not over.

Delegations from the two sides held talks in Istanbul on March 29 as Russia, more than a month into its unprovoked invasion, continued to encounter stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces, which made gains in some areas by retaking ground on the outskirts of the capital region.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Aleksandr Fomin told reporters in Moscow that a decision had been made to "radically reduce military activity" near Kyiv and Chernihiv in order to increase mutual trust.

For its part, Ukraine proposed not to join military alliances or host foreign troops as long as it had outside security guarantees and as long as Russia did not stand in the way of the country joining the European Union.

Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter that unconditional security guarantees for Ukraine, a cease-fire, and humanitarian convoys were among the topics discussed during the "difficult negotiations for peace in our country."

The fate of the eastern regions where Russia-backed separatists have battled Ukrainian forces since 2014 would be set aside to be discussed by the Ukrainian and Russian leaders, with any peace deal requiring a referendum in Ukraine, Podolyak said.

Russian lead negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said Russia's delegation would study and present the proposals to President Vladimir Putin.

"We still have a long way to go" to prepare a peace agreement, Medinsky told TASS.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and U.S. President Joe Biden expressed skepticism about Russia's announcement that it would reduce activity around Kyiv and Chernihiv, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was focused on Russia's actions, not its words.

"What Russia is doing is the continued brutalization of Ukraine and its people, and that continues as we speak," said Blinken, who is on a tour of the Middle East and spoke at a news conference in Morocco.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Russia is only "repositioning" its forces near Kyiv not withdrawing them.

“It does not mean the threat to Kyiv is over,” Kirby said. “They can still inflict massive brutality on the country, including on Kyiv.” He said Russian air strikes against Kyiv continued.

"We're not prepared to call this a retreat or even a withdrawal," he said. "We think that what they probably have in mind is a repositioning to prioritize elsewhere."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy also expressed caution about Russia's promises.

"We can say the signals we are receiving from the talks are positive, but they do not drown out the explosions of Russian shells," he said in a late address on March 29. He added that Ukraine could only trust a concrete result from the talks.

The assessments came as tens of thousands of civilians in the southern port city of Mariupol continue to be trapped under repeated shelling and air strikes by Russian forces.

'It's Hell': Ukrainians Describe Harrowing Escape From Besieged City Of Mariupol

Mariupol has been one of the main focal points of fighting since the start of the invasion more than a month ago. The situation in the city, which numbered some 400,000 people before the war, has been described as "apocalyptic."

The head of the UN human rights mission in Ukraine told Reuters that thousands of civilians may have died in the city since bombing began.

SEE ALSO: Escape From Mariupol: 'The Dead Were Buried In The Yards'

"We do think that there could be thousands of deaths, of civilian casualties, in Mariupol," Matilda Bogner said. The mission did not have a precise estimate but was working to gather more information, she added.

Mayor Vadym Boychenko said on March 28 that nearly 5,000 people, including about 210 children, had been killed in Mariupol.

British military intelligence said earlier on March 29 that Russian forces continue to pose a significant threat to Kyiv through their strike capability even though Ukrainians keep launching localized counterattacks to the northwest of the Ukrainian capital.

The fierce resistance put up by Ukraine took Russia by surprise, according to NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana, as has the cohesiveness of the West's response.

NATO, he said, is "more united than ever and willing and ready to support Ukraine in its just fight for freedom and sovereignty, but also making sure that all allies, especially ones on the eastern flank that are more exposed, are fully protected by nature."

"I would say that after one month, Mr. Putin is far from the objectives of his initial campaign," Geoana told Current Time in an interview.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian military said in its latest update on March 29 that Russian forces keep launching missile strikes on residential neighborhoods across the country, focusing on targeting fuel storage compartments in an effort to "complicate logistics" and "create conditions for a humanitarian crisis."

Zelenskiy said seven people were killed and 22 injured in a missile strike on the regional government headquarters in the southern city of Mykolayiv.

Russian Rocket 'Hit My Office,' Says Ukrainian Governor

Regional Governor Vitaliy Kim accused Russian forces of waiting until people had arrived for work in the nine-story building before striking it and said he had a lucky escape because he had overslept.

With additional reporting by Current Time, Reuters, TASS, and AFPP