Ukrainians claim to have retaken ground from Russia ahead of latest talks

(AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Ukrainian forces claim to have retaken a Kyiv suburb and an eastern town from the Russians in what is becoming a back-and-forth stalemate on the ground, as negotiators assemble for another round of talks aimed at stopping the fighting.

Ahead of the talks in Istanbul, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country is prepared to declare its neutrality, as Moscow has demanded, and is open to compromise on the fate of the Donbas, the contested region in the country’s east.