Russia has announced it will "drastically reduce" military combat operations in two key areas of Ukraine "to boost mutual trust" in peace talks.
The decision to scale back operations around the capital, Kyiv, and the northern city of Chernihiv is the first sign of tangible progress in talks since Russia invaded on 24 February.
Ukraine has proposed neutrality in exchange for security guarantees.
A key aim of Russia's invasion was to stop Ukraine joining the Nato alliance.
Russia had already refocused its military campaign on "liberating" Ukraine's eastern regions after a series of setbacks to the north-west of the capital, Kyiv. It is also seeking to capture a land corridor from Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, to the Russian border.
Russian officials said peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, had moved to a practical stage.
[Source: BBC]
