Ukraine said Saturday it has taken back all areas around Kyiv over a month into the Russian invasion.
In a Facebook post, Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said the "whole Kyiv region is liberated from the invader" including areas such as Irpin and Bucha.
But Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a televised speech, warned of Russia regrouping its forces in the country's east and called on its people to defend the territory.
Zelenskyy also criticized retreating Russian troops for leaving behind land mines and asked Ukrainians not to return until they are cleared.
Russia said in late March when it held cease-fire talks with Ukraine in Istanbul that its military would sharply cut back operations near Kyiv and Chernihiv, a northern Ukrainian city, as a confidence-building measure.
On Saturday, Ukrainian negotiator Davyd Arakhamia said on Ukrainian TV that the talks have made some progress and referred to the possibility of Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin holding talks in Turkey.
