Russia has withdrawn military forces from Ukraine.
Newsone reports that Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have ended the first direct talks in more than two weeks in Istanbul, Turkey, with Moscow saying it was ready to “fundamentally cut back” military activity near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv.
This online news platform understands that Russian Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin said the move was meant “to increase trust” in talks aimed at ending the fighting, as negotiators met face-to-face on Tuesday after several rounds of failed talks.
The Deputy Defence Minister said Moscow had decided to “fundamentally … cut back military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv”.
Negotiators on the Ukrainian side said they were willing to agree to a neutral status – one of Russia’s key demands – if an international agreement under which other countries would serve as guarantors of Ukraine’s security would come into place.
“We want an international mechanism of security guarantees where guarantor countries will act in a similar way to NATO’s article number five – and even more firmly,” David Arakhamia, a Ukrainian negotiator, told reporters.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the talks at the Dolmabahce Palace on the Bosphorus strait marked the “most significant progress” since the war started between the two countries.
Speaking after the three-hour talks concluded, Foreign Minister Cavusoglu said the discussions represented “the most significant progress since negotiations began” following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Talks would not resume on Wednesday, he added.
Pentagon kicks over Moscow’s claims of military withdrawal
Newsone Nigeria reports that Pentagon responded on Tuesday, March 29, 2022, to Russian claims that they were scaling back military operations in Ukraine, refusing to call Moscow’s moves a “withdrawal” or “retreat.”
“We believe that this is a repositioning, not a real withdrawal,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said.
Kirby added: “We’re seeing a small number now that appears to be moving away from Kyiv, this on the same day that the Russians say they’re withdrawing.”
The Pentagon’s comments came hours after Russia said it would reduce military operations around the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv as peace talks were set to resume.
Kirby said Russia “failed” in its objective to capture Kyiv but warned that the war was not over.
“We think that what they probably have in mind is a repositioning to prioritize elsewhere,” Kirby said. “We all should be prepared to watch for a major offensive against other areas of Ukraine.”
Separately, Newsone reports that the Pentagon announced that 10 F-18 fighter jets and more than 200 US troops were being deployed to Lithuania. This comes a day after the US announced that it was sending six EA-18G Growler aircraft to Germany.
