War in Ukraine: Russia says it will limit attacks on Kyiv as peace talks move forward
Written byTimes Magazine
it's not clear how much of a reduction in military activity would be, and Ukraine remains skeptical. The United States and Britain also said the pledge should be treated with caution.
On Tuesday, Russia's Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said the country would "radically reduce several times" military activity around Kyiv and Chernihiv. But Russia's pledge to reduce its armed forces has been met with skepticism. "Ukraine is not a naive person," President Vladimir Zelenskyy said in a video speech last night.
"We can say that the signal ... is positive, but this signal did not sink the Russian explosion or shell," he added. The UK Ministry of Defense has also warned that Russia may "try to shift its combat capabilities from the north to the offensive in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to the east."
Russia has refocused its campaign in eastern Ukraine. It has suffered setbacks north of the capital Kyiv and is also seeking to take over a land corridor that runs along the southern coast to the Russian border. The talks lasted about three hours. Very little leaked, and almost all media was stored outside the crowded sidewalk space.
The main point became clear when members of the Ukrainian delegation took to the streets an hour before the expected final. Negotiators said they offered Russia to accept the neutral status in exchange for security guarantees, an international mechanism by which guarantor states would act to protect Ukraine in the future.
Kyiv will not join NATO in exchange, which is an essential Russian demand. This is not a new promise, but it has been laid out in the most precise detail.
Many are skeptical about Russia's statement about reducing military operations; whether it was a promise of retreat or a simple acceptance, he had failed in those areas and would instead direct his full force further east.
Because of this, Western countries say they will judge Russia on its actions, not its words.
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