Russia's deputy defense minister said Moscow would "drastically" reduce its military presence near , as Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in Istanbul on Tuesday for a fresh round of peace talks.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin made the announcement in an on-camera statement from Istanbul broadcast on Russia-24, saying Moscow would also reduce its military presence in the direction of Chernihiv, north of Kyiv. The development suggested some progress may have been made during the day's negotiations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously said he was to bring an end to the war "without delay." However, over the weekend, he said he would not sacrifice his country's territorial integrity. In a briefing Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he would not comment on the progress of the talks until they were over.
In an interview with PBS on Monday, Peskov clarified Moscow's stance on the use of nuclear weapons, saying Russia would only consider it if there is a threat to the "existence of the state in our country." But, he said, that "any outcome of the operation (in Ukraine), of course, is not a reason for usage of a nuclear weapon."
On the ground, the British defense ministry said, Ukrainian forces were seeing "some success" with localized counterattacks to the northwest of Kyiv, including in , where local officials said the city had driven out Russian forces. The Russian forces still posed a significant threat to the capital through their strike capability, the ministry added.
Blinken: 'We're focused on what Russia does'
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Tuesday appeared to cast doubt on Russia's pledge to cut back on hostilities in Ukraine.
"There is what Russia says, and there is what Russia does," Blinken said during a diplomatic trip to Morocco. "We’re focused on the latter, and what Russia is doing is the continued brutalization of Ukraine and its people, and that continues as we speak."
Blinken called on Russia to "end the aggression now, stop firing, pull its forces back, and of course engage in talks."
Top U.S. commander in Europe says Russia launched 'multiple' hypersonic missiles in Ukraine
NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Tod D. Wolters said Tuesday that Russia fired "multiple" hypersonic missiles in Ukraine, with most directed at military targets.
"I think it was to demonstrate the capability and attempt to put fear in the hearts of the enemy and I don't think they were successful," Wolters said in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Wolters, who also serves as commander of U.S. European Command, did not specify the exact number of hypersonic missiles launched.
He suggested intelligence on the strikes is still pending, but said most strikes were launched "at specific military targets."
An expert recently told NBC News that the missiles are "very, very fast and designed to evade missile defenses."
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