i think that's a very good point that kalava makes. they are in a position of strength. the russian troops digging in. they haven't been able to take kyiv. out the ukrainians are defiant and the rest of the world sanctioning russia. are we expecting realistically, jomana, for them to budge on their list of demands? >> reporter: that is the big question here, isa. how much is this international pressure going to impact the russians? we have heard from officials saying, look, we're going to have to wait and see what directives foreign minister lavrov has coming into the meetings. i don't think a 90-minute meeting is going to be one where you're going to see any sort of concessions or any sort of major changes to the situation but, again, as you mentioned, at least there is this optimism, this hope that they are starting to talk at the highest of levels right now. we'll have to wait and see, isa, what comes out of it. at least' cease-fire. really, turkey wants to present itself as a serious peace broker in all of this and has been trying and working really hard behind the s

>> he said very publicly, the foreign minister kalava said pick up your latest iphone to lavrov, call your boss, call putin to get permission to establish these humanitarian corridors, but questioned whether the decision maker was across the table. we know it is putin calling the shots and there is no interest in these talks. there is evidence during the small cease-fires we have seen for humanitarian corridors, they don't hold back. they are taking advantage of those. even to hear the russian foreign minister say with a straight face russia did not attack ukraine today, his words, how can you have two parties to a military conflict where one of them is claiming not to be a party to a military conflict. . >> there have been out of sumy, hundreds of people getting out of that corridor. why do you think it is that mariupol is coming under such fierce attack? >> it's hard to say. i'm sure you had similar conversations as well. we spoke to the deputy mayor of mariupol the last self days, and he saw evidence when they opened up the corridors, the russian military targeted the corridors. th