Russia and Ukraine discuss a path to peace as Ukrainian forces retake critical Kyiv suburb

Judy Woodruff:

"We'll see" — that was President Biden's reaction today to the news that Russia said it would curtail some of its military activity in Northern Ukraine.

American officials across the administration echoed that caution. The U.S. believes Moscow is moving troops away from Kyiv to redeploy them elsewhere, including the Donbass region. Today, Russian forces also continued their bombardment of cities in Southern Ukraine.

Meantime, talks in Turkey between Ukraine and Russia showed some signs of progress.

And that's where special correspondent Jack Hewson begins our coverage tonight, reporting from Kharkiv.

Jack Hewson:

In Istanbul today, Turkish officials tried to set a friendly tone, as Ukrainian and Russian negotiators meet for the first round of in person talks in nearly three weeks.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who earlier this month offered to be a mediator, highlighted the meeting's gravity.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President (through translator):

As members of the delegations, you have taken on a historic responsibility. The whole world is awaiting the good news that will come from you.

Jack Hewson:

After the meeting, Ukraine sent Moscow its most detailed proposal yet for a future peace deal, raising hopes for talks between the two leaders.

David Arakhamia, Head of Ukrainian Delegation (through translator): We think that we have worked through enough material, so that a meeting between the presidents of Ukraine and the Russian Federation can be made possible. We have sent the proposal to the Russian side, and are waiting for their answer.

Jack Hewson:

Ukraine pledged to remain neutral, without joining military alliances or hosting military bases, in exchange for security guarantees similar to NATO's Article 5, which says an attack against one ally is considered as an attack against all allies.

Turkey, Germany and Poland were named among the potential guarantors of Ukraine's security. Ukraine also proposed a 15-year negotiation period over the status of Crimea, which Russia invaded and annexed in 2014. Meanwhile, Russia said it would drastically reduce its military activity in Northern Ukraine, including around Kyiv.

Michael Kofman, Center for Naval Analyses: The Russian military has been signaling a likely shift of strategy for at least the last week-and-a-half, if not longer.

Their offensives on most fronts have stalled out. They were conducting an operational pause. They lost momentum. And the one area where they were still making gains was in the fight for the Donbass and in the fight the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

Jack Hewson:

Michael Kofman is a Russia expert at the Center for Naval Analyses, a nonprofit research organization.

Michael Kofman:

This is less a withdrawal or retreat, and more of a retrenchment, or, to be frank, a redeployment of Russian forces, throwing them behind the other troops that the Russian military has fighting in the Donbass, where they're trying to encircle Ukrainian troops.

Jack Hewson:

Throughout the country, Ukrainian soldiers have put up strong resistance. In this town northwest of Kyiv, they take abandoned Russian tanks as their trophies.

Marat Saifulin, Ukrainian Soldier (through translator):

We kicked out the Russians from here, and they are now several kilometers away. We will advance and we will free more in the coming days.

Jack Hewson:

Further east, Ukraine continues its battle for Kharkiv. Russian military losses mount, but civilian lives are not spared.

This city, home to nearly 1.5 million before the war, has suffered some of the most relentless bombardment. Talk of peace and reduced military activity has had little impact on the ground here in Kharkiv. The regional government has reported 46 strikes on the city over the past 24 hours, predominantly mortar fire. And the sounds of incoming and outgoing artillery rounds can regularly be heard.

Russian attacks today also continued in the south, in the port city of Mykolaiv, the governor's office torn apart. Emergency workers rushed to evacuate anyone alive.

Woman (through translator):

This is just a nightmare. A girl died on my floor. What can I say?

Jack Hewson:

Inside, the workplace now turned into wreckage. Surveillance footage caught the missile strike, after the impact, huge billows of smoke.

To evacuate those still trapped by the violence, Ukraine said three humanitarian corridors were agreed today after a day-long pause, including one from Mariupol, where tens of thousands of civilians still try to escape the devastation.

But in another impassioned speech, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said more needed to be done to punish Russia.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President (through translator):

Yes, we can say that the signals we hear from the talks are positive. But these signals can't silence the explosions of Russian shells. Sanctions must get stronger weekly, and they must be of high quality.

Jack Hewson:

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Jack Hewson in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

Judy Woodruff:

And a note: The "NewsHour"'s coverage of Ukraine is supported in partnership with the Pulitzer Center.