Russia will drastically cut its military activity focused near Kyiv and also around Chernihiv, the Russian deputy defence minister said.
Alexander Fomin added that the country has decided to “fundamentally cut back” operations near the capital and another major city to “increase mutual trust” at talks aimed at ending the fighting.
The announcement came as Ukrainian and Russian delegations met in Istanbul in Turkey for peace talks.
It appears to be the first major concession the Russians have made since the beginning of their invasion in Ukraine more than a month ago.
Putin’s forces ‘pushed away’ from capital – live updates
The Ukrainian general staff of the military said earlier it had taken note of withdrawals around Kyiv and Chernihiv.
Sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich appeared at the peace negotiations this morning, following allegations that he was poisoned at earlier talks.
The Kremlin rejected the reports and called them untrue and part of an “information war”.
As Ukrainian forces entered their 34th day of war, the UK’s ministry of defence said the Kremlin forces still pose a “significant threat” to the capital, through their strike capability.
