According to the Moscow Defense Ministry, Russia wants to significantly reduce its “military activities” in Ukraine near Kyiv and Chernihiv. It is the first announcement of a withdrawal of this kind from the Russian side.
This decision was made in view of the course of the negotiations with Kyiv, said Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin in Istanbul.
The move should serve to build mutual trust and create the conditions for further negotiations, Fomin said. the Ukraine is in the process of preparing a treaty on a neutral status of the country without nuclear weapons. Russia assumes that Ukraine will make appropriate decisions on this. Detailed information about the Istanbul agreements should be available after the delegation’s return to Moscow.
Meanwhile the Ukrainian General Staff announced that the withdrawal of individual units of the Russian armed forces was being observed in the area around the capital Kyiv and the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv.