Insight Bureau: Ukraine has rejected proposals pushed by Russia for it to adopt a neutral status comparable to that of Austria or Sweden, saying talks with Moscow to end fighting should focus on “security guarantees.” Earlier the Kremlin said earlier that Ukraine becoming a neutral state is being discussed at talks with Kyiv and would be a “compromise.”

“Ukraine is now in a direct state of war with Russia. Consequently, the model can only be ‘Ukrainian’ and only on legally verified security guarantees,” its top negotiator Mikhailo Podolyak said in comments published by President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office.