Russia to scale back military activity toward Kyiv, Chernihiv as part of peace talks: Putin defense official

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Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine continue peace talks

Fox News correspondent Jeff Paul discusses ongoing developments in the Russia-Ukraine war on ‘Special Report.’

Russian defense officials announced Tuesday that Moscow will scale back military activity in two key areas as part of the ongoing peace negotiations. 

After nearly five weeks of fighting, Russia has decided to draw back its forces around the capital city of Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said. 

"In order to increase mutual trust and create the necessary conditions for further negotiations…a decision was made to radically, at times, reduce military activity in the Kyiv and Chernihiv direction," Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin was quoted as saying by a Russian state-owned media outlet.

A woman walks past a destroyed tank in the town of Trostsyanets, Ukraine, Monday, March 28, 2022. Trostsyanets was recently retaken by Ukrainian forces after being held by Russians since the early days of the war.  (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

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Russian delegation member Vladimir Medinsky called the talks "productive" and said both Ukraine and Russia will discuss the negotiations with their corresponding presidents. 

The Kremlin said the news was an attempt to show good faith but comes after Russian ground troops have remained stalled across the country for weeks. 

Russia has been unable to make any progress in successfully advancing on Kyiv and senior U.S. defense officials first noted last week that Moscow may be looking to re-prioritize its strategy. 

"They are putting their priorities and their efforts in eastern Ukraine. And that's where still there remains a lot of heavy fighting," a senior defense official told reporters Friday.  "We think they are trying to not only secure some sort of more substantial gains there as a potential negotiating tactic at the table, but also to cut off Ukrainian forces in the eastern part of the country."

A view of destroyed buildings and vehicles after Russian attacks on a shopping mall, in Kyiv, Ukraine on March 21, 2022. It is reported that, 8 people were killed in the Russian attack on shopping mall.  (Emin Sansar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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Moscow has increasingly relied on missile bombardment to target cities and has launched at least 1,370 missiles since the onslaught of the invasion.

Ukrainians have not only held off Russian advancements into Kyiv, but have begun pushing them back from several key cities, including Kherson in the south and Kharkiv to the north. 

A senior U.S. defense official told reporters Monday that Ukrainians had recaptured town of Trostyanets', located two hours northwest of Kharkiv. 

A police officer stands guard next to the Wreckage and debris outside a damaged shopping center in the Podilskyi district of Kyiv by Russian air strikes, amid Russian invasion, in Kyiv, Ukraine, 21 March 2022. Russian invasions have forced millions of Ukrainians to become refugees fleeing to other countries.  (Ceng Shou Yi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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Defense officials believe Russia will focus its military might in eastern Ukraine to potentially gain territory in the Donbas region where Russia-backed separatist groups have been fighting since 2014.

The Russian delegation said Tuesday it is working on a "solution" to bring both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin together to agree to a peace treaty.