Hopes rise for Ukraine deal as ‘some Russian troops return to bases’

Members of the National Guard of Ukraine look out of the window as they ride in a bus through the Kyiv (Emilio Morenatti/AP)

Hopes of a diplomatic path out of the Ukraine crisis have increased slightly after Russia’s Defence Ministry announced that some units participating in military exercises would begin returning to their bases.

After weeks of rising tensions over Ukraine, the tenor changed on Monday, when Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov indicated that Russia was ready to keep talking about the security grievances that have led to the crisis.