Russia, Ukraine foreign ministers could meet soon, says Turkey

ISTANBUL, Mar 31 (AFP): Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba could meet within two weeks for talks, Turkey said Thursday, after hosting negotiators from both sides earlier this week.
"There could be a higher-level meeting, at least at the level of foreign ministers, within about a week or two weeks," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a televised interview.
"What matters is that the two sides come together and agree on a lasting ceasefire," he said. "We would like to host a foreign ministers' meeting as an honest mediator."
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Istanbul on Tuesday. The talks provided a spark of hope for an end to the war in Ukraine but there are few signs of attacks abating on the ground.
NATO member Turkey, which has friendly ties with both sides, has positioned itself as a mediator and hosted Lavrov and Kuleba in the southern city of Antalya in early March.
Cavusoglu said the most significant progress so far had been obtained at the talks in Istanbul.
"Is everything over? It's not... Some steps were taken to reduce the tension, even though we don't see it much on the ground," he said.
"Some say it's tactical manoeuvering. Some raise doubts. We are cautious," said Cavusoglu.
The Turkish minister also praised Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich, who was present at the Istanbul talks, for his "useful role" in ending the war.

Kyiv sends buses to evacuate Mariupol civilians
The Ukrainian government is sending 45 buses on Thursday to evacuate civilians from the besieged city of Mariupol, where the Russian defence ministry has announced a local ceasefire, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
"Tonight, we received a message from the International Red Cross Committee that the Russian Federation confirms its readiness to open access for the humanitarian convoy to the city of Mariupol with transit through the city of Berdiansk," she said in video posted on Telegram.
"We are sending 45 buses to the Mariupol corridor".

Putin's popularity up since start of war
Vladimir Putin's ratings have seen a boost since the start of military actions in Ukraine, the independent Levada Centre said, with over 80 percent of Russians saying they support the Russian president's actions.
The first poll conducted by Levada since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, said 83 percent of Russians approve of Putin's actions, up from 71 percent in early February.
Levada said 15 percent of respondents said they did not approve-down from 27 percent-and 2 percent said they had no opinion.