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"There is what Russia says and what it does."[/QUOTE]
"There is what Russia says and what it does. We are focusing on the latter," U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said, adding that Russia saying it is reducing hostilities around Kiev could mean it is trying to divert attention and deceive Ukrainians into believing it is really going to do so." Shortly afterwards, Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said that the de-escalation does not in any way constitute a "ceasefire."
Earlier today Russia announced, following today's negotiations with the Ukrainian side in Istanbul, that it would reduce its military operations around Kiev. According to TASS, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin noted that Russia is committed to "radically" reduce military activity outside Kiev and Chernihiv. The Ukrainian negotiator after the peace talks with the Russian delegation in Istanbul noted that Kiev wants to see eight countries, including Turkey, as guarantors in the Russia-Ukraine war.
According to two top US officials, quoted by the US television network CNN, Russia has already started to withdraw some of its military forces on the outskirts of Kiev. The same officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, believe the move marks a major change in Vladimir Putin's strategy.
Russia: not a ceasefire
Russia's de-escalation on the invasion of Ukraine does not mean a ceasefire, the Russian chief negotiator said.
In particular, Russia's promise to de-escalate its military operations around Kiev and northern Ukraine does not mean a ceasefire, the chief Russian negotiator in the talks with Ukraine said today, Tuesday.
"This is not a ceasefire but this is our expectation, gradually to achieve the de-escalation of the conflict at least on these fronts," Vladimir Medinsky said in an interview with TASS referring to the promise to de-escalate military operations near Kiev and Chernihiv.
Ukraine's distrust
The possibility that the change in strategy is a "trick" is, however, spoken of by Ukrainian officials, according to a report by Turkish journalist Ragip Soylu for MiddleEastEye. The report said that the Ukrainian side maintains its reservations about the progress made in the negotiations, as fears linger that Russia may be using the talks as a pretext to take a "breather" from the war front.
Ukrainian officials are concerned that Russia may try to reach an agreement on a temporary ceasefire so that it can redeploy its military forces and launch a new offensive.
Source: Proto Thema
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