Russians reduce business in Kyiv – not ‘ceasefire’ or ‘withdrawal’ say Russia, USA

LAST UPDATE 22:56

Russia says it is “drastically” reducing its military activity in the Kiev and Chernihiv regions of northern Ukraine, following “substantial” Ukrainian-Russian talks in Istanbul. “As negotiations on a neutrality and non-nuclear status agreement between Ukraine enter a practical dimension (…) it was decided to drastically reduce military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv in order to strengthen mutual trust,” he said in a statement. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.

Russia’s promise to de-escalate its military operations around Kyiv and northern Ukraine does not mean a ceasefire, the chief Russian negotiator said in talks with Ukraine on Tuesday. “This is not a ceasefire, but it is our expectation that we will gradually achieve a de-escalation of the conflict, at least on these fronts,” Vladimir Medinsky told TASS. to de-escalate military operations near the cities of Kiev and Chernigiv.

Any move by Russian troops around Kyiv “would be a reorganization, not a withdrawal,” a U.S. official said Tuesday after Russia promised to de-escalate its military operations near the Ukrainian capital.

“We believe that any move by Russian forces around Kyiv is a reshuffle, not a withdrawal. And the people must be prepared for major attacks on other parts of Ukraine to continue,” he said. “No one should make the mistake of believing that Russia is ending the conflict.”

What the White House says

Russia is reorganizing its troops in Ukraine, not withdrawing them, White House spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield said today, commenting on the movement of Russian forces on Ukrainian soil.

Earlier, the Pentagon said Russia had begun moving a small number of troops away from their positions on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, noting that it was seen more as a redeployment rather than a retreat or withdrawal.

“Has there been any movement of some Russian units further away from Kyiv in the last day? Yes, we think so. This is a small number,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

“However, we believe that this is a realignment, not a real withdrawal, and we should be prepared for a possible major attack on other parts of Ukraine. It does not mean that the threat to Kyiv is over,” he added.