Moscow has pledged to reduce military activity in the Kyiv and Chernihiv areas drastically.

 Military action in Kyiv and Chernihiv will be reduced to increase mutual trust and create the necessary conditions for further negotiations, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Colonel-General Alexander Fomin told reporters following the Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul. “Because negotiations on the preparation of an agreement on neutrality, the nuclear-free status of Ukraine and providing Ukraine with security guarantees are moving into practice, taking into account the principles discussed during today’s meeting,” Fomin explained.