Russia claims it will 'drastically' decrease military activity near Kyiv, Chernihiv
Russia's military will "drastically" decrease activity near Kyiv and Chernihiv to try to improve trust and aid further talks with Ukraine, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Col. Gen. Alexander Fomin said Tuesday.
"Due to the fact that the negotiations on elaborating a treaty on Ukraine's neutrality and nuclear-free status, as well as on providing Ukraine with security guarantees are shifting to the practical field, and taking into account the principles discussed during today's meeting," Fomin told reporters, "the Russian Defense Ministry has decided to decrease its military activity in the areas of Kyiv and Chernihiv drastically in order to increase mutual trust and create conditions required for further negotiations and for achieving the ultimate goal of reaching an agreement on and signing of the aforementioned treaty."
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was asked by reporters Tuesday about Russia's announcement that it will scale back operations around Kyiv and Chernihiv. He said it may be a "means by which Russia is, once again, trying to deflect and deceive people into thinking that it's not doing what it is doing, whether it's simply trying to regroup given the heavy losses that it's suffered -- I don't know." But any attempt to "subjugate" eastern or southern Ukraine will not succeed either, he added.
