Russia vows to scale back near Ukrainian capital Kyiv

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a speech to welcome the Russian and Ukrainian delegations (Turkish Presidency via AP)

Russia has announced it will significantly scale back military operations near Ukraine’s capital and a northern city, as the outlines of a possible deal to end the grinding war came into view at the latest round of talks.

Ukraine’s delegation at the conference, held in Istanbul, laid out a framework under which the country would declare itself neutral and its security would be guaranteed by an array of other nations.