Lagatar24 Desk
Kyiv, March 29: As diplomats prepared to meet Russian colleagues for face-to-face talks in Istanbul on Tuesday, Ukrainian forces recovered a key Kyiv suburb and desperately held to control of the beleaguered city of Mariupol.
Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky claimed troops ‘liberated’ the outlying village of Irpin, wresting a crucial gateway to the capital’s northwest from Russian control.
The loss of Irpin, according to Western analysts, is a serious defeat for Russian forces, who are currently regrouping following a disastrous first attempt to encircle the capital.
More than a month has passed since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s tanks moved into Ukraine, ostensibly to cripple or depose Kyiv’s democratic government. Over ten million people have been displaced as a result of the violence, which has killed an estimated 20,000 people. The chances of a peaceful resolution to the conflict or an impending victory for either side are slim.
Notably on Tuesday, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators will restart discussions in the wake of shocking allegations that participants were poisoned during a previous round of talks.
