Ceasefire

Ukraine is willing to become neutral and compromise over the status of the eastern Donbass region as part of a peace deal, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday, even as another top Ukrainian official accused Russia of aiming to carve the country in two.

In what's looking like a hugely significant first sign that Russia could be pulling back on the scope of its Ukraine operations, Bloomberg reports Friday that the Kremlin may be limiting its key military objectives to taking full control over the Donbas region.

Turkey's foreign minister claims that Russia and Ukraine are nearing an agreement on "critical issues."

Russians were warned by President Vladimir Putin that the nation should go through a "self-purification" due to alleged "traitors" in their midst.

"Otherwise, nothing," says Ukrainian presidential adviser.

Ukraine-Russia war: The Kyiv Independent said the deal included a ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian troops if Kyiv renounced its ambitions for a membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and accepted limits on its armed forces.

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and current Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) trade barbs over her suggestion that NATO should work to negotiate a ceasefire amid Russia-Ukraine conflict. QUICK FACTS: Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) pushed back against Utah Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT)’s suggestion that she was “treasonous,” according to Breitbart News. The former democratic representative’s loyalty was called into question over her suggestion that Russia, Ukraine, and NATO allies work to negotiate a ceasefire around U.S.-funded biological research facilities. Gabbard cited the possibility of an outbreak of deadly pathogens as her motivation for pushing NATO toward the warring nation’s peace talks. WHAT THE LAWMAKERS SAID: “Like COVID, these pathogens know no borders,” Gabbard said. “If they are inadvertently or purposely breached or compromised, they will quickly spread all throughout Europe, the United States, and the rest of the world, causing untold suffering and death.” “These labs need to be shut down immediately and the pathogens that they hold need to be destroyed,” she added. Gabbard was quickly called out by more than one public figure with Romney saying, “Tulsi Gabbard is parroting false Russian propaganda. Her treasonous lies may well cost lives,” the senator said. Gabbard responded Monday: “Senator Romney, you’ve called me a treasonous liar simply for stating the fact that there are over 25 US-funded bio labs in Ukraine, which, if breached, would release and spread deadly pathogens across the United States and the world. They must be secured so that we can prevent any new pandemics from occurring,” she said. BACKGROUND: Gabbard, a veteran, previously sued Hillary Clinton for claiming that she was a “Russian asset,” according to NBC News. Clinton later revived her comment about the National Guard Lt. Colonel according to The New York Post, saying she thought that Russians had “their eye on somebody” in the primary.

Moskow said Kyiv is now seeing the situation "much more adequately."

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted Sunday that Russia will be moving towards a “deep recession” as a consequence of the trade sanctions imposed on Moscow after the invasion of Ukraine.

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine moves past its third week, there are slight hopes that negotiations between the two sides may soon produce a ceasefire. But with the shrill warmongering talk in Washington, it almost seems like the US government would hate to see that happen.