[NYPOST] Russia on Tuesday claimed it would "radically" reduce its attacks around Kyiv and Chernihiv as a good-will gesture amid peace talks — but critics contended the move was just a retreat after Kremlin losses."Given that the talks on the preparation of an agreement on the neutrality and non-nuclear status of Ukraine have moved into a practical field ... a decision has been made to radically, by several times, reduce the military activity in the areas of Kyiv and Chernihiv," said Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.
He added that the pledge was meant "to increase trust" in talks aimed at ending the fighting, as negotiators met again after several failed rounds of discussions.
But some military analysts described the move as a relatively empty gesture, given that Russia has yet failed to take the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, which it had reportedly expected to swiftly do after invading its eastern neighbor in late February.
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