Kiev sees progress ignoring both Obama and Putin.

When Russia's stealth invasion of Crimea began,  the Ukrainian military suffered one humiliation after another because of instructions by the Obama administration to avoid confrontation with the insurgents "at all costs".  Kiev followed Obama's "guidance"  of capitulation(capitulation being something Obama knows a lot about)  and the cost was Crimea and the insurgents moving into eastern Ukraine.

Kiev finally had enough of Obama's "guidance",  took matters into its own hands and began doing what it probably should have done from the beginning -- use all the military force  necessary against the Russian separatists, terrorists, and undercover Russian troops who invaded  and illegally took over government buildings in an attempt to start a civil war as a means for Russia to gain control over more Ukrainian territory.

Now that Kiev is fighting back they are succeeding both in eastern Ukraine and in Odessa, retaking buildings, destroying insurgent checkpoints and defeating the armed insurgents. Which is why suddenly there are statements from Putin claiming he is withdrawing troops from the Ukrainian border and calling for the Ukrainian military to cease operations.  Which is precisely what Kiev should not do. They are succeeding by rejecting Obama's guidance. And they should ignore Putin's statements as well.

Putin's statement that Kiev should stop their military operations against the armed separatists holding government buildings is being framed as some kind of gesture for good faith negotiations.  It should be ignored. The only reason Putin is making the offer is because the Ukrainian military is winning. 

Kiev should be making the demands and they should include that the separatists and terrorists lay down their arms and vacate the buildings as the only actions acceptable and the only conditions under which the Ukraine military would cease operations and the only conditions under which there would be any negotiations. Either voluntarily leave the buildings or be removed by force.

Putin is claiming he is pulling back Russian forces from the border but there is no proof of that.  But it's unlikely Putin would have used them for an invasion in the first place. The costs would be too high for Russia on every level. The Russian forces on the border were there as a tool of intimidation. As it regards Obama, it worked. It was this intimidation that led Obama to instruct Kiev to avoid a military confrontation at all costs because Obama didn't want to deal with the consequences of an overt Russian invasion. Knowing that,  Putin made Obama blink so many times it looked like Obama had something in his eye. And he did. Putin.

Now that the insurgents have been losing militarily, Putin wants to call time out. Kiev needs to ignore Putin just as they finally ignored Obama,  and continue the offensive against the insurgents and separatists engaged in murder, intimidation and Gestapo tactics against pro-Ukrainian citizens and regain control of the country.

After the ambush of Ukrainian soldiers by Donesk terrorists there is nothing left for Kiev to do except use all the military force necessary to defeat the separtists and terrorists in the east.

For the distinct minority of ethnic Russians in Donesk who support the ambushes, the torture, murder, lies and Gestapo tactics used by the separtists in their name  and who think the bogus vote and referendum allows them to say what country the ground they walk on will belong to, despite the majority who oppose them,  Kiev should give them two choices. If they want to be a part of Russia,go to Russia. Nothing is stopping them from leaving. Then they can be as much a part of Russia as they wish. Or as Putin allows.  The other choice is to surrender. And if they choose to fight and to try and force their will at the point of a gun Kiev has no choice but to use as much military force as neccessary to defeat them.And the more they use the faster it will be over.