Russia said on Wednesday that some parts of a possible peace deal with Ukraine were close to being agreed upon after Kyiv agreed to discuss neutrality, raising hopes of an end to the biggest war in Europe since World War II.
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"Neutral status is now being seriously discussed along, of course, with security guarantees," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said told RBC news.
"Now this very thing is being discussed in negotiations - there are absolutely specific formulations which in my view are close to an agreement," Lavrov said, cautioning that the negotiations were not easy but that there was "some hope of reaching a compromise" nonetheless.
Ukraine has also made cautious positive statements on peace talks. It says it is willing to negotiate to end the war, but will not surrender or accept Russian ultimatums.
The euro extended gains after Lavrov's comments and was up 0.4% to $ 1.1005.
Russia's chief negotiator in talks with Ukraine Vladimir Medinsky said the sides are discussing a possible compromise whereby Ukraine will in the future have a smaller, non-aligned military.
"A whole range of issues tied with the size of Ukraine's army is being discussed. Ukraine is proposing an Austrian or Swedish option of a neutral state, but a state that has its own army and navy," Medinsky said.
He noted that a key question is the status of Crimea, annexed by Russia, and the separatist-held Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, which Russia recognizes as independent. Ukraine considers both part of its territory.
A new round of Ukraine-Russia talks about the war is expected later Wednesday.
Amid the diplomatic efforts, fighting in Ukraine, and in the suburbs of Kyiv in particular, continued.
The Ukrainian military said on Wednesday morning it had destroyed a number of Russian military helicopters at the Kherson International Airport the day before.
Ukraine's Armed Forces posted a video on its official Twitter page that showed Russian helicopters destroyed and the structure damaged. Satellite image also showed a large black plume of smoke rising from the airport. Military vehicles seen near the airport were also hit.
Another footage showed an artillery attack by the Ukrainian military on a Russian convoy in the suburbs of Kyiv in an effort to keep the troops from invading the capital.
ЗСУ знищили 🇷🇺рашистські гелікоптери в окупованому аеропорту на Херсонщині. pic.twitter.com/NTZ575RkAe
— 🇺🇦Armed Forces (@ArmedForcesUkr) March 16, 2022
Meanwhile, the United States and other NATO members said on Wednesday they would keep helping Ukraine fight off Russia's invasion, while also adapting the alliance's own security to the "new reality" triggered by the war.
Diplomats and military analysts estimate that NATO allies have sent more than 20,000 anti-tank and other weapons to Ukraine since the invasion started on Feb. 24.
"We remain united in our support of Ukraine," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said as he arrived at an emergency meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels. "We support their ability to defend themselves and will continue to support them."
NATO countries will continue to deliver weapons to Ukraine even as those deliveries could become the target of Russian attacks, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren told reporters, adding: "Ukraine has the right to defend itself."
Ukraine is not a member of NATO. Although it has repeatedly said it wants to join to benefit from its protection, Kyiv said on Tuesday it understood it does not have an open door to NATO membership and was seeking other types of security guarantees.
Ministers will also hear from their Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov, who is expected to plead for more weapons from individual NATO countries, as Russian attacks on Ukraine's cities continue and the Russian military seeks control of Kyiv.
Ahead of a summit of NATO leaders on March 24, NATO defense ministers are also set to tell military commanders at Wednesday's meeting to draw up plans for new ways to deter Russia, including more troops and missile defenses in eastern Europe.
While at least 10 of NATO's biggest member states, including the US, Britain, and France, have deployed more troops, ships, and warplanes to its eastern flank and put more on stand-by, the alliance must still consider how to face up to a new security situation in Europe over the medium term.
"We need to reset our military posture for this new reality," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday. "Ministers will start an important discussion on concrete measures to reinforce our security for the longer term, in all domains."
Russian missiles hit a Ukrainian base near the border with NATO member Poland on March 13, bringing the invasion right up to NATO's doorstep.
Those missiles were fired from Russia, the United States has said, underscoring Moscow's ability to hit NATO's eastern allies. The United States has also warned of undefined consequences for Moscow if Russia were to launch a chemical attack in Ukraine.
NATO, founded in 1949 to contain a military threat from the Soviet Union, is not treaty-bound to defend Ukraine. But it must defend its 30 allies.
However, diplomats say NATO wants to avoid directly stating its plans, or what would trigger its "Article 5" collective defense pledge, saying "strategic ambiguity" is also a defensive instrument against any Russian aggression.
"The surprise for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin was the West was so united. He didn't believe that. He has the wrong picture about western countries," Estonian Defense Minister Kalle Laanet said as he arrived at the NATO meeting.
"We can't be afraid, we have to stay calm, because Putin would like to see that everybody is afraid."
In related news, the University of Haifa has launched the Scholars Refuge Fund, a special emergency fund supporting stipends and scholarships, seeking to raise $1.25 million to support approximately 100 scholars from Ukraine.
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After connecting with Ukrainian universities and scholars-at-risk to assess the current landscape surrounding higher education in the embattled Eastern European country, the university announced that it will welcome approximately 100 Ukrainians and others from the former Soviet Union to join the University's community at varying academic levels – from graduate studies through post-doctoral programs – while also offering visiting scholar and faculty positions.
In addition to receiving scholarships, room, and board, the fund's beneficiaries will also have access to counseling and a space to feel safe and secure during a time when nothing feels certain.
"While undoubtedly the national government and others will surely provide additional resources over time as the magnitude of the need grows, we felt that it is our responsibility to step forward immediately to provide support to those we can help directly by giving them immediate direct access to participate in our community of scholars as they begin new chapters in Israel," said University of Haifa board of governors chair Bradley M. Bloom and University of Haifa president professor Ron Robin.
The school has also established the new Ukraine Emergency Fellowship at the University's Haifa Center for German and European Studies. The one-year, $30,000 fellowship is available for one scientist from Ukraine with a background in the humanities, social sciences, or law (with a doctorate). The fellowship is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service and the personal philanthropy of the head of the Haifa Center.
"We hope that others around the world will join us and give people in need a home from where they can regroup in dignity, continue their careers, and can be part of the academic and social leadership of Ukraine, if only from a safe distance," said Katharina Konarek, academic coordinator at the Haifa Center for German and European Studies.
Prospective students, scholars, and faculty affected by the war in Ukraine can apply to the University of Haifa Scholars Refuge Fund here.
JNS.org contributed to this report.
