Vladimir Putin may be closed to holding direct peace talks than ever after his soldiers were chased out of Kyiv.
The Russian leader could meet with Volodomyr Zelensky to discuss ceasefire terms with his invasion on the brink of unravelling completely, a negotiator has indicated.
Ukraine’s military claimed to have recaptured the entire Kyiv region more than five weeks after Russian soldiers poured over the border.
The Kremlin’s forces never managed to penetrate the heart of the city but have held strategic points around Kyiv since the attack began.
Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Hanna Malyar said on Saturday ‘the whole Kyiv region is liberated from the invader’ following days of heavy battles and reports of Russian retreats.
They leave in their wake scenes of misery and death, with allegations of mass graves and war crimes against unarmed civilians mounting.
The Ukrainian government believes Mr Putin may have accepted the need to sit down with Mr Zelensky and bring the war to an end.
Kyiv has offered a number of commitments to Moscow to end the conflict, including abandoning Nato membership in favour of security guarantees and demilitarisation.
A member of the negotiating team indicated that draft peace treaty documents were at an advanced enough stage to allow for direct consultations between the two nations’ leaders, Interfax Ukraine reported.
The agency quoted David Arakhamia as telling Ukrainian television that Russia accepted Ukraine’s overall position with the exception of its stance on Crimea.
He said proposals to establish a 15-year consultation on the status of Crimea – which is internationally recognised as Ukrainian territory but has been annexed by Russia since 2014 – remains a stumbling block.
MORE : Russia says UK is escalating war and threatens to strike arms shipments
Discussions between delegations, which have involved Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich in some capacity, have been ongoing in Turkey but talks between the two presidents would mark a major step forward.
Moscow has not commented on the possible progress but has previously said it would hold direct talks between the presidents if terms could be agreed.
Ukrainian soldiers returning to towns held by Russian forces for several weeks have been welcomed by grateful residents and scenes of destruction and suffering.
Mr Zelensky claimed Moscow’s troops were creating a ‘catastrophic’ situation for civilians by leaving mines around homes, abandoned equipment and ‘even the bodies of those killed’.
In newly recaptured Bucha, Ukrainian soldiers were seen removing the bodies of six people using cables because they feared they may have been used to conceal explosives.
Referring to the dead civilians, a resident told AP: ‘Those people were just walking and they shot them without any reason. Bang.
‘In the next neighborhood, Stekolka, it was even worse. They would shoot without asking any question.’
An advisor to Mr Zelensky shared an unverified image of corpses with their hands tied behind their backs purportedly also from Bucha.
He said: ‘The bodies of people with tied hands, who were shot dead by soldiers lie in the streets.
‘These people were not in the military. They had no weapons. They posed no threat.
‘How many more such cases are happening right now in the occupied territories?’
Former chief prosecutor of United Nations (UN) war crimes tribunals Carla Del Ponte said there was clear evidence of atrocities and called for an international arrest warrant against Mr Putin.
The Kremlin has pivoted the military operation towards eastern regions already partly held by pro-Moscow forces in recent days after the western campaign ground to a halt in the face of logistical issues, bad intelligence and staunch Ukrainian defence.
Ukraine and western nations expect Mr Putin to order assets withdrawn from Kyiv to be used to bolster efforts to annex Ukraine’s eastern flank in its entirety.
Russia-Ukraine war: Everything you need to know
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, the country has suffered widespread damages and loss of life amid a major bombing campaign.
Millions of people have fled the country, with thousands of British people opening up their homes to Ukrainian refugees.
During the course of the war, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has remained in Kyiv, despite the Ukrainian capital being subjected to a barrage of bombing.
Zelensky has continuously pushed for aid and support from world leaders, as well as pressing for fast-tracked NATO membership.
Meanwhile, Russia's President Vladimir Putin has been widely condemned for his attack on Ukraine.
His actions have been met by harsh economic sanctions, bans from competing in major sporting events, and countries moving away from using Russian oil.
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