Sputnik is live from Kiev, as Russia and Ukraine are holding talks in Istanbul, Turkey. This is the first round of in-person negotiations between the two sides since a meeting in Belarus over three weeks ago.
In the meantime, the Russia military and Donbass militias continue to advance amid the special operation in Ukraine: according to the Russian Defence Ministry, the military has destroyed 123 Ukrainian warplanes, 309 UAVs, 172, rocket launchers, 1721 tanks, and other armoured vehicles.
Meanwhile, Donbass militia forces have reclaimed multiple settlements, liberating them from Ukrainian troops.
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