Russia promises reduced military activity, as Ukraine proposes ‘neutral’ status at talks

乌方谈判提议“中立”，俄罗斯承诺减少军事行动

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (center) speaks during a round of Russian-Ukrainian talks at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, Turkey.Photo: VCG

土耳其总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安（中）在土耳其伊斯坦布尔的多尔马巴切宫举行的一轮俄乌会谈中发表讲话。照片来源：VCG

The latest round of Russia-Ukraine talks, held in Istanbul on Tuesday, have seen a "progress," as the Russian delegation said Russia has decided to reduce military activities near Kiev and that they have received Ukraine's proposal to become "neutral," though observers said the most difficult part of the talks is the sovereignty issue and the two sides are still far off from a ceasefire.

周二在伊斯坦布尔举行的最新一轮俄乌会谈取得了“进展”，俄罗斯代表团表示，俄方已决定减少基辅附近的军事行动，并已收到乌克兰提出的“中立”建议。不过观察员表示，会谈中最难解决的部分是主权问题，距离双方实现停火仍有很长的路要走。

After the three-hour meeting in Turkey, Russia said it has decided to drastically cut back its military activity near Kiev in order for peace talks to progress. According to TASS, top Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said the talks were "constructive."

在土耳其举行了三个小时的会谈后，俄方表示已决定大幅削减基辅附近的军事行动，以便和平谈判取得进展。据塔斯社报道，俄罗斯首席谈判代表弗拉基米尔·麦丁斯基表示，本次会谈是“建设性的”。

Ukrainian negotiators told reporters that Kiev would agree to a neutral status if a security guarantee system is put in place, and they said Israel, Poland, Canada and Turkey could be among Ukraine's security guarantors, according to Deutsche Welle. It is unclear whether the negotiations will continue the next day.

据德国之声报道，乌克兰谈判代表告诉记者，如果安全保障体系能够落实，基辅将同意保持中立地位。他们还表示，以色列、波兰、加拿大和土耳其可能是乌克兰的安全保障国之一。目前，尚未清楚谈判是否会在第二天继续。

The Associated Press quoted Ukraine's military as saying it had noted withdrawals around Kiev and Chernihiv.

美联社援引乌克兰军方的话说，他们留意到了基辅和切尔尼希夫附近的撤军行动。

Turkey said Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers were expected to meet in the next phase to set a mutual understanding and set the stage for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

土耳其表示，俄罗斯和乌克兰外长期望在下一阶段举行会晤，以建立相互理解，并为俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京和乌克兰总统沃洛蒂米尔·泽连斯基之间的会晤奠定基础。

Medinsky said after the talks that Russia suggested a meeting between Putin and Zelensky could be arranged concurrently with the initialing of a bilateral treaty by the two countries' foreign ministers, according to TASS.

据塔斯社报道，麦丁斯基在会谈后表示，俄方建议普京和泽连斯基之间的会晤可以安排于两国外长签署双边条约的同一时间进行。

Yang Jin, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European, and Central Asian Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that the words of Ukrainian and Russian negotiators, as well as the latest remarks from officials and diplomats on both sides, demonstrated both parties have a strong will and urgency to resort to a political solution.

中国社会科学院俄罗斯、东欧和中亚研究所副研究员杨进告诉《环球时报》，乌克兰和俄罗斯谈判代表的发言，以及双方官员和外交官的最新言论，都表明了双方都有诉诸政治解决方案的强烈意愿和迫切需要。

Russia has now concentrated its troops in the Donbass region and Yang predicted that in the next phase, Russia will seek to solve the conflict mainly through political channels with a military method as a supplement.

目前，俄罗斯已将兵力集中在顿巴斯地区。据杨进预测，下一阶段，俄罗斯将以政治渠道为主、以军事手段作为补充来力争解决冲突。

Ukraine, after suffering enormous losses, also understood pledges NATO and the US made were unreliable and their assistance was far from enough to enable Ukraine to confront Russia, Yang said.

杨进表示，乌克兰在遭受巨大损失后，也明白北约及美国做出的承诺是不可靠的，他们的援助远远不足以使得乌克兰能够对抗俄罗斯。

In a Sunday interview, President Zelensky said Ukraine was carefully considering "neutrality" as long as third parties can provide security guarantees for Ukraine, stressing "sovereignty and territories are priorities" in the talks.

泽连斯基在周日接受采访时表示，乌克兰正在认真考虑“中立”，只要第三方能够为乌克兰提供安全保障，并在会谈中强调“主权和领土是优先事项”。

The latest progress of the Russia-Ukraine talks has surprised some observers to some extent, but Chinese analysts also said a final ceasefire is too ambitious a goal to achieve, and they remain cautious since the matter about sovereignty is the most difficult part.

俄乌会谈的最新进展在一定程度上让一些观察人士感到惊讶，但中国分析人士表示，达成最终停火的目标过于雄心勃勃，难以实现，他们仍保持谨慎，因为主权问题是最困难的部分。

Cui Heng, an assistant research fellow from the Center for Russian Studies of East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that "Since Zelensky's remark of neutrality and non-nuclear status for Ukraine is based on sovereignty and territorial integrity, that would mean Russia's withdrawal from the Donbass region, including Lugansk and Donetsk, which Russia had recognized as independent states."

华东师范大学俄罗斯研究中心助理研究员崔珩，周二对《环球时报》表示，“由于泽连斯基关于乌克兰中立和无核地位的言论是基于主权和领土完整，这也就代表着俄罗斯需要从顿巴斯地区撤军，包括卢甘斯克和顿涅茨克这两个俄方已承认独立的'国家'”。

A compromise about the sovereignty matter on either side is unlikely in the near future, Cui said, citing the US and the EU's new round of sanctions on Russia.

崔珩还援引了美国和欧盟对俄罗斯的新一轮制裁，认为在不久的将来，双方都不太可能在主权问题上达成妥协。

During US President Joe Biden's Europe visit, the two sides agreed on a deal on liquefied natural gas (LNG) amid a new round of sanctions mainly on Russian energy, despite the hefty bills for the EU.

在美国总统乔·拜登访欧期间，伴随着新一轮主要针对俄罗斯能源的制裁，美欧双方就液化天然气（LNG）协议达成一致，尽管此举将使欧盟将面临巨额账单。

Financial Times, citing four individuals briefed on the discussions, said the draft ceasefire document did not include three of Russia's initial core demands - "denazification," "demilitarization," and legal protection for the Russian language in Ukraine.

英国《金融时报》援引四名消息人士的话称，停火文件草案没有包括俄罗斯最初的三项核心要求——“去纳粹化”、“去军事化”，以及对乌克兰境内使用俄语采取法律保护。

A significant progress can only be made when there is an arrangement for the status of Lugansk and Donetsk that both sides can accept, Cui said.

崔珩说，只有双方达成一份彼此都能接受的关于卢甘斯克和顿涅茨克地位的协定，谈判才能取得重大进展。

Yang said there is a lot of work to be done on how the neutrality of Ukraine will be realized, which country will be the third-party guarantor, and what kind of mechanism will be established to ensure Ukrainian security.

杨进称，在如何实现乌克兰的中立、哪个国家将成为第三方保障国以及将建立什么样的机制来确保乌克兰的安全等方面，还有很多工作要去完成。