When asked to comment on Russia’s vow that it will “reduce” its attack on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, US President Joe Biden told reporters Tuesday, “We’ll see. I don’t read anything into it until I see what their actions are.”
“We’ll see if they follow through what they’re suggesting,” Biden said when asked if Russia’s apparent reduction in military actions in Kyiv signals the end of the war or if Russia is attempting to buy time.
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Biden also stated that during his call with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom on Tuesday morning, there was a “consensus” among the leaders to “let’s just see what they have to offer. We’ll find out what they do .”
“In the meantime, we’re gonna continue to keep the sanctions strong. We’re gonna continue to provide the Ukrainian military with their capacity to defend themselves and we’re gonna continue to keep a close eye on what’s going on,” Biden added.
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Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces announced on Tuesday in an official Facebook update that certain troops of Russia’s military are retreating from Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv. The announcement comes as the two parties begin their first face-to-face negotiations in two weeks on Tuesday in Turkey.
Russia’s military also stated that it will “fundamentally cut back” activities near Kyiv and Chernihiv in order “to increase trust” in discussions.
While the Russian General Staff states that the forces did not “meet the goal of its offensive operation,” it warns that there is a considerable possibility that the troops may assault military and civilian facilities.
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It went on to say that the Russian military is trying to reinforce and rotate in new soldiers owing to “refusal of personnel to participate in the so-called special operation.”
According to an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the conference in Istanbul was focused on achieving a cease-fire and security assurances for Ukraine – issues that had previously been the focus of unproductive negotiations.