Russian troop withdrawal designed to ‘mislead’: Ukrainian military

Ukraine’s military has said Russian troops continue to withdraw from Kyiv and Chernihiv in the country’s north but described the movement as merely “a rotation of individual units”.

“According to some indications, the Russian enemy is regrouping units to focus its main efforts on the east,” the general staff of the armed forces said in a report released late Tuesday night and published by the Ministry of Defence.

“At the same time, the so-called ‘withdrawal of troops’ is probably a rotation of individual units and aims to mislead the military leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and create a misconception about the occupiers’ refusal to plan to encircle the city of Kyiv,” it said.

Western leaders have also reacted warily to Russia’s claim that it will significantly cut back its military activity in the north after “meaningful” progress at peace talks in Istanbul.

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday appeared to be unconvinced about the Russian announcement.

“We’ll see. I don’t read anything into it until I see what their actions are,” he said at the White House.

“We’ll see if they follow through on what they’re suggesting. There are negotiations that have begun and continued today. One in Turkey and others,” he said, adding that he had a meeting with the heads of state of France, Germany and the Great Britain.

Addressing a joint news conference with Biden, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore said his country strongly condemned the unprovoked attack by Russia on Ukraine. “The sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity of all countries, big and small, must be respected,” he said.

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