Putin cites ‘positive movement’ in Ukraine talks as Russia widens offensive

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said there has been “positive movement” in talks with Ukraine, though Moscow continues to target Ukrainian cities and areas close to airports in missile strikes. 

At the beginning of a meeting with Belarusian President and Putin ally Alexander Lukashenko, Putin said that discussions between Russia and Ukraine occurred “practically on a daily basis” and noted that “there’s some positive movement there, as our negotiators have told me,” according to Interfax, Bloomberg reported.

But both countries’ foreign ministers have made little progress this week on negotiations, the news wire noted, even concerning a cease-fire for the safe evacuations of civilians. 

Earlier this week, Ukraine’s foreign ministry had announced that a safe corridor between the eastern city of Sumy and Poltava, which sits closer to the country’s center, had been agreed upon by both sides, allowing the first stage of evacuations to begin.

But the foreign ministry later announced that the cease-fire had been broken by Russian forces.

Though the adoption of a neutral stance for Ukraine has been something Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signaled could be on the table, Ukraine is still seeking security guarantees from Germany and the U.S. in addition to European Union membership, according to Bloomberg. 

Putin’s remarks also come as Russian forces have still continued to strike Ukrainian cities and airfields, making it unclear if talks will curb further military movements within the former Soviet Union nation. 

In an effort to further isolate Russia economically, President Biden is expected to call for an end to normal trade relations with Russia on Friday. Congress would need to remove the status from Russia, but the move is expected to allow for higher tariffs on Russian goods.