Russia said on Tuesday it will reduce military operations in Kyiv and Chernigov in order to increase mutual trust and create the necessary conditions for further negotiations, Deputy Defense Minister of the Russian Federation, Colonel General Alexander Fomin told Interfax reporters following Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul.

Russia’s Defense Minister claimed to have achieved Russia’s main objectives for the first phase of the war against Ukraine on Tuesday, Russian state media outlets reported.

“Due to the fact that negotiations on the preparation of an agreement on the neutrality and non-nuclear status of Ukraine, as well as on the provision of security guarantees to Ukraine, are moving into practice, taking into account the principles discussed during today’s meeting, by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in order to increase mutual trust and create necessary conditions for further negotiations and achieving the ultimate goal of agreeing and signing the above agreement, a decision was made to radically, at times, reduce military activity in the Kyiv and Chernigov direction,” he said.