Turkey hopes talks for a ceasefire in Ukraine will start soon, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday (3 March), at the end of a diplomatic forum in the southern city of Antalya.
Fidan met his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on Friday on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. He told reporters he had discussed a number of issues with Lavrov, including Ukraine.
“On the issue of Ukraine, our view is that both sides have reached the limits of what they can get by war. We think that it is time to start a dialogue for a ceasefire,” Fidan said.
“That doesn’t mean recognising the occupation (by Russia), but issues of sovereignty and ceasefire should be discussed separately.”
Kharkiv is not yet safe enough for residents to return to the city, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on March 1.
“As for the return of Kharkiv residents: you see, I don’t think Kharkiv is so protected at the moment that I can advise people to return,” Zelensky stated. “This is the choice of Kharkiv residents.”
In other news, the death toll of last night’s strike on Odesa has risen to 7. UPDATE: The death toll is now at nine.
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Kupiansk and Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi are the priority targets for the Russian troops in the Kupiansk direction, Illia Yevlash, spokesman for the Khortytsia operational-strategic group, said during a telethon.
According to him, the Russians probably consider it necessary to attack now with all available forces. The Ukrainian military is working on defense.
Yevlash emphasized that despite the advantages of the Russians, Ukrainian troops can fight back. In his opinion, only by joining Ukrainian efforts, it is possible to repel the Russian offensive in this direction.
On February 25, at about 11:00 p.m., the Russian military launched two S-300 missile strikes on the village of Pisochyn in the suburbs of Kharkiv, said the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, Oleh Syniehubov.
According to him, the Russian missile attack damaged two hangars with grain. Russians also damaged tractors and trucks. No casualties were reported.