After three hours of negotiations in Istanbul on Tuesday, the parties made some progress.
Ukraine is ready to adopt a neutral status in exchange for security guarantees and Russia is ready to reduce its military presence in Kyiv, among other things.
The purpose is to improve the conditions for future negotiations.
But neither Elena nor her friends and family are filled with hope.
On Saturday, Elena will leave the security in the village and go to Kyiv on Saturday to pick up clothes and visit the doctor, she still expects to have to go down to the shelter.
- I expect flight alarms, but I expect to see a couple of friends again.
My hopes outweigh the fear of going back, she says.
See what Elena thinks may cause the war to end in the video above.