sitting at the table for them to say, oh, this one time ukraine came into our territory, that's going to blow up negotiations. it's a little bit of an interesting place to be, diplomatically. >> yeah, it certainly is. you know, given the numerous questions that have existed since the start of any talks about just how serious russia is when it comes to those talks. berman, i appreciate it. thank you. right now, russian forces are focusing on the eastern part of ukraine, specifically the donbas region. >> they have been heavily focused on gaining control of the southern ukrainian city of mariupol, a connecting point from the donbas in the east to the critical port city of odesa. gives you a sense of their plans for territorial expansion perhaps in the south and the east. cnn international correspondent ed lavandera is in odesa today. ukrainians watching this closely. it's the main port city. russia clearly has designs on