The US continued to express doubt that Russia was curtailing its military ambitions in Ukraine despite new Kremlin claims that it was wrapping up operations around Kyiv and had made progress in peace talks with Ukrainian negotiators.
Russia’s defence ministry on Wednesday insisted it was continuing a withdrawal from population centres in Ukraine’s north and west, including Kyiv. Igor Konashenkov, the ministry’s spokesperson, said Russia was conducting a “planned rotation” out of Kyiv and Chernihiv, a city further to the north, after “achieving all the main tasks” in that part of the country.
Konashenkov also said the Russian military was moving into the “final phase” of its operations in eastern Ukraine, a move intended to “complete the operation to fully liberate the Donbas”, the mostly Russian-speaking border region in eastern Ukraine.