Ukraine’s Zelensky warns Russia can’t be trusted, as Moscow says pulling back from Kyiv
- The US military says some Russian troops have moved away from the area, but calls it a repositioning, not a withdrawal
- US President Biden and British PM Johnson expressed scepticism over the pullback claims, saying they will wait to see what Moscow’s actions are
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says that the talks with Russian negotiators have given some positive signals but warned Russia cannot be trusted.
Russia announced after Tuesday’s talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul, Turkey that it will significantly reduce military operations near Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv.
The US and others earlier expressed scepticism in Russia’s announcement.
In a video address on Tuesday night, Zelensky said Ukrainian troops’ “courageous and effective actions” forced Russia to scale down its action around Kyiv and Chernihiv.
He said Ukraine will continue the negotiation process “to the extent depending on us” but emphasised mistrust in “the words coming from representatives of the country that continue fighting to destroy us”.