Russia Is Cutting Back Military Activity In Kyiv, Defence Ministry Says

Russia is cutting back its military activity in Kyiv, its defence ministry has said.

It comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin's 'special military operation' has reached its 34th day in Ukraine.

According to Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin, Moscow has decided to 'fundamentally cut back military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv'.

In a local news report, Fomin said this move was to 'increase mutual trust for future negotiations to agree and sign a peace deal with Ukraine'.

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Istanbul, Turkey, earlier today (29 March), with a statement expected in 'several hours', reports Sky News.

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Prior to the talks, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were both 'valuable friends', but urged the need for peace talks to yield 'concrete results'.

He said: "At such a critical time we are pleased to welcome you and to contribute to your efforts to establish peace.

"I wish that our meetings and discussions will prove to be auspicious for your countries, our region and all humankind."

Also earlier today, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed Ukraine's military capacity was 'seriously degraded'. In a televised address, he said the first phase of the invasion was 'completed'.

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Shoigu said: "Overall, the main tasks of the first stage of the operation have been completed.

"The combat potential of the Ukrainian armed forces has been significantly reduced, which makes it possible to focus the main attention and main efforts on achieving the main goal - the liberation of Donbas."

Shoigu also reiterated warnings over NATO supporting Ukraine with aircraft and defence systems.

In his latest evening address, Zelenskyy commended the 'liberation' of Irpin, a town located north-west of Kyiv.

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However, he also said Russian troops were still holding areas north of the capital, despite 'hundreds and hundreds of units of burned and abandoned enemy equipment'.

He added: "Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv regions, Donbas, southern Ukraine - the situation everywhere remains tense, very difficult."

Zelenskyy also called for safe passage for the people in the besieged city of Mariupol, bolstered by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

In a statement, it said: "Today, civilians are taking the life-and-death decision to flee when there is no ceasefire or other agreements in place that would allow them to leave safely."

If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information