Turkey says Russia-Ukraine peace talks made 'most meaningful progress' so far

Ukraine has named the US, UK, Germany, Turkey and France as countries that could provide security guarantees

A Ukrainian soldier fires his rifle from a trench at the front east of Kharkiv in the north of Ukraine, which continues to be shelled by Russian forces. AFP

A gas station on fire in Kharkiv after Russian ttack on the northern city. AFP

A medieval suit of armour 'stands guard' at a a Ukrainian checkpoint, on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv. AP Photo

Ukrainian refugees wait in line to cross the border into Poland at Shehyni. Reuters

Destroyed Russian armoured vehicles on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP Photo

A resident passes apartment buildings destroyed by Russian attacks in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine. Reuters

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, standing, welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to address the House of Representatives via video link at Parliament House in Canberra. Mr Zelenskyy appealed directly to Australian legislators for more help in the war against Russia, including armoured vehicles and tougher sanctions. AP

Fire lights up the sky east of Kharkiv, where Ukrainian forces pushed back Russian troops from a motorway outside the country's second-largest city. AFP

A destroyed Russian tank in the village of Lukianivka near Kyiv. AFP

Passengers arriving from Moscow at Manas International Airport, Bishkek, Kyrgyrzstan. Hundreds of thousands of citizens of former Soviet countries in Central Asia are facing difficult choices: shrinking work opportunities in Russia and wages in the weakened rouble versus a return to the homeland where they have family homes, but even fewer job prospects. AFP

Fire and smoke light up the sky east of Kharkiv as Ukrainian forces push back Russian troops from a motorway outside the country's second-largest city. AFP

A Ukrainian soldier shoots at the Russian positions not far from the capital Kyiv. EPA

A car marked with the English letter 'Z' is found destroyed at the central Ukrainian train station that was used as a Russian base in Trostyanets. Ukrainian forces said they had retaken the north-eastern town from the Russians. Getty Images

Rescue workers at the site of the regional administration building hit by Russian cruise missiles, in Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Reuters

A dog looks at cars passing by on the road near a house painted with the colors of the Ukrainian flag, on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv. AP Photo

A soldier poses for the picture in Kyiv, Ukraine, while standing guard amid the destruction caused after shelling of a shopping center. AP Photo

A Ukrainian serviceman stands near a destroyed Russian tank in the north-eastern city of Trostianets. AFP

A worker pushes a cart past graves of Ukrainian soldiers who were killed in battle during Russia’s attack on Ukraine, at the Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv. Reuters

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows damaged apartment buildings and homes in Mariupol. AP

A resident takes photos of a destroyed Russian tank next to the railway station where the Russian forces were stationed, in Trostyanets, a town recaptured by the Ukrainian army. EPA

A rescuer clears the rubble of a warehouse containing more than 50,000 tons of deep-frozen food in the town of Brovary, north of Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, after it was destroyed by Russian shelling. AFP

A Ukrainian army vehicle carries a Russian tank in Trostyanets. AFP

Ukrainian soldiers carry a coffin during the funeral ceremony of a comrade in Odesa. EPA

A man walks with his dog near an apartment building damaged by shelling from fighting on the outskirts of Mariupol. AP Photo

Members of the Danish Parliament attend the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky's speech to the Danish Parliament via a video link, at the Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark. EPA

A satellite image shows crowds outside a Metro grocery store in Mariupol. Reuters

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opens Ukrainian-Russian talks in Istanbul. President Erdogan told the delegations that "both parties have legitimate concerns." AFP

Members of the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps fire a howitzer at a position in the Zaporizhzhia region. Reuters

Ukrainian refugees are helped by volunteers upon their arrival at Amsterdam Central station by train from Berlin. AFP

Ukrainian soldiers ride an armoured people carrier through the town of Trostsyanets, about 400 kilometres east of Kyiv. AP Photo

Firefighters work amid the debris of residential houses that were destroyed by Russian shelling in a settlement outside Kharkiv. Reuters

President Joe Biden said that he is not advocating for regime change in Moscow after saying Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power." AP Photo

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a warehouse after it was hit by Russian shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine. More than half of Kharkiv's 1.4 million people have fled the city since Russia's invasion on February 24. Getty Images

Local residents pass by a destroyed Russian tank in the town of Trostyanets, east of capital Kyiv, Ukraine. The monument to the Second World War is seen in background. AP Photo

A pro-Russian troop service member walks near a destroyed apartment building in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol. Reuters

Mykhaylo, 8, who was taken away from his widowed mother along with his 9-year-old brother and 16-year-old sister, plays with a ball in the garden of a state shelter in Lviv. Reuters

Halyna Falko, 52, talks to reporters while looking at the destruction caused after a Russian attack inside her house near Brovary, on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP Photo

Curtains flutter in the wind at a building that was damaged by shelling in a neighbourhood that has been largely abandoned and left without water, gas and heating, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Reuters

People, mainly women and children, arrive at Przemysl on a train from Odesa in war-torn Ukraine in Przemysl, Poland. The Polish government has said it may spend €24 billion this year hosting refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, and is seeking more support from the European Union. Getty Images

A woman walks a dog past the so-called "people's installation to a Russian soldier" nicknamed the "polite people" created by residents in the backyard of their apartment building in the town of Podolsk, outside Moscow. AFP

Live updates: follow the latest news on Russia-Ukraine

Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have made their most meaningful progress so far, Turkey's foreign minister said on Tuesday after Moscow announced it would scale back its military operations near Kyiv.

Mevlut Cavusoglu said negotiators in Istanbul had reached a "consensus and common understanding" on some of the issues between the warring countries,.

It came as Ukraine offered concessions to Russia, including staying out of Nato and keeping foreign military bases off its territory, in exchange for guarantees from allies to protect it from foreign aggression.

Mr Cavusoglu said Tuesday's negotiations would be followed by talks between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers, and possibly the two presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to discuss the "more difficult" outstanding issues. Ukraine said these could include discussions on the future of the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.

Stocks jumped and oil prices fell on the signs of optimism emerging from the talks, in which Ukraine is seeking a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian troops. But there is wariness among its allies about Moscow's intentions after what they describe as broken promises by Mr Putin in the past.

"Whatever agreement there is, it is made at gunpoint," Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told CNN.

The meeting at Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace was the first face-to-face encounter between the two sides for almost three weeks, during which Russia's invasion was seen as having stalled.

Ukraine said it was carrying out successful counter-attacks in some areas but being pounded by Russian attacks on fuel storage sites, while Moscow said it had succeeded in diminishing the Ukrainian armed forces and would now focus on areas claimed by separatists in the eastern Donbas region.

Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin said the promise to scale back fighting around Kyiv was meant to create mutual trust and the necessary conditions for more talks to take place.

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich attended the meeting in what the Kremlin said was an appearance to "enable certain contacts" between the two sides, after overnight reports that he had suffered symptoms of poisoning at an earlier round of talks. The Kremlin has denied reports of Mr Abramovich's poisoning.

The two sides were urged by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was hosting the talks, to pave the way for a Putin-Zelenskyy meeting that could "stop this tragedy" after almost five weeks of war.

“In a fair peace, there are no losing parties and the extension of conflict is to nobody's benefit," said Mr Erdogan. “The whole world is waiting on good news to come out of your negotiations,” Mr Erdogan said.

The two negotiating teams sat facing each other at a long table in the presidential office, a Turkish presidential video feed showed. However, it appeared there was no formal handshake or greeting at the start of the meeting.

Ukraine said it was seeking a customised version of Nato's Article 5 mutual defence guarantee, in which its allies would agree to protect it from aggression but it would not join the alliance.

A potential Ukrainian accession to Nato is regarded as unacceptable by Russia and was cited as a threat by Mr Putin when he announced the invasion last month.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Mr Zelenskyy, named the US, UK, Germany, Turkey and France as countries that could provide this "enhanced analogue" of Article 5 and commit to being "actively involved" in protecting Ukraine.

Ukraine also wants Germany, Canada, Italy, Poland and Israel among the guarantors, Mr Zelenskyy's office said, and assurances that any deal would not prevent it from joining the EU.

Such an agreement would be adopted through a referendum, an ideal already floated by Mr Zelenskyy to legitimise Ukraine's proposed neutrality, and through the parliaments of the guarantor states.

The Ukrainian side said the status of Russian-annexed Crimea was also on the table, in a deal that would span a period of 15 years, if a ceasefire agreement was reached.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba separately said his country would not compromise on “people, land or sovereignty” during the talks.

Russia's chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, said the Russian side would look at the proposals and would report on them to President Vladimir Putin after what he called constructive talks.

Alexander Dubowy, an analyst, said the news from the talks called for "cautious optimism" but that extent of Russia's pull-back around Kyiv remained to be seen. CNN quoted US officials describing the move as a major strategic shift by Moscow rather than a temporary ploy to regroup.

The Russian General Staff will reveal in more detail about the decisions after the delegation returns to Moscow, Mr Fomin said. Turkey said that the second day of talks to be held on Wednesday was no longer expected to take place.

"The most meaningful progress since the beginning of negotiations was made today," Mr Cavusoglu said. "The more difficult issues will be taken up at a higher level.

"In the coming period, it is foreseen that both countries' foreign ministers will come together and for the final version of the common understanding. Following that, it is on the agenda for the presidents of the two countries to come together."