GRAIN OF SALT

Russia Claims It Will Pull Back Troops to Boost ‘Trust’ With Ukraine

Putin’s deputy defense minister says “it was decided to drastically, exponentially, reduce military activity” in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions after peace talks.

Russia’s Defense Ministry on Tuesday announced plans to drastically reduce “military activity” in two key Ukrainian regions in a bid to boost “mutual trust” with Ukraine following peace talks. Citing negotiations on an agreement for Ukraine to officially take on a neutral, “non-nuclear” status, Deputy Defense Minister Aleksander Fomin said “it was decided to drastically, exponentially, reduce military activity” in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions in order to facilitate the signing of such an agreement. The announcement came after Russian forces struck an administrative building in Mykolaiv earlier Tuesday, reportedly leaving at least seven dead and 22 wounded. It also comes shortly after Moscow said it would shift its focus to the eastern part of the country, in a move Western officials say may be an attempt to slow down the war after weeks of Russian losses. CNN’s Jim Sciutto, citing two senior U.S. officials, reported on Twitter that Russia had already begun to withdraw troops from around the capital, with Battalion Tactical Groups seen moving out.

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