Thirty-four days after the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, the war is entering a new stage. The latest round of peace talks, taking place in Turkey between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators, has ended early. Progress in the peace talks resulted in Russia scaling back from the capital.
U.S. Intelligence officials are questioning the motives behind the shift in focus for Russia. The decision to reverse the advance on Kyiv could result in the heavy bombing of the capital to cover the retreat.
Officials in the U.S. believe the Russian military had shifted its focus upon entering the second month of the war. Eastern Ukraine had become the focus of Russian military leaders, who hoped to encircle Ukrainian forces. The prolonged battle for the port of Mariupol offers strategic military and economic access to the Sea of Azov.
Allegedly more than 160,000 Ukrainians are currently trapped in Mariupol.
Ukrainian forces had reported significant gains in and around Kyiv. The U.S. and UK have said the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Kyiv area appears to be a long-term strategy. U.S. intelligence officials believe Russian forces are unwilling to return to Ukraine after the swift advance promised by the Kremlin failed to materialize.
Peace negotiations have been taking place in Turkey. These face-to-face talks have come to an end without an agreement. The final day of talks is canceled to allow negotiators time to discuss proposals presented by Russia and Ukraine.
Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky explained the Ukrainian delegation had presented its proposals for Vladimir Putin to consider. The negotiating teams explained they are hopeful a face-to-face meeting will soon occur between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The latest round of talks in Turkey included Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. The owner of Chelsea FC has faced economic sanctions in the UK and across Europe for his close relationship with Russian President Putin.
Abramovich has revealed details of the suspected poisoning of himself and two Ukrainian diplomats during a round of peace talks in late February.
According to BBC, the alleged poisoning attempt is thought to have been initiated by Kremlin hardliners to maintain the momentum of the Russian advance.