Russia’s defence ministry said Russia will “drastically reduce” military activity outside Kyiv and Chernihiv.

Speaking on television after talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiating teams in Istanbul, Russia’s deputy defence minister said Moscow has decided to “fundamentally cut back military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv” in order to “increase mutual trust for future negotiations to agree and sign a peace deal with Ukraine.”

Russia’s deputy defence minister, Alexander Fomin, said Moscow has decided to “radically reduce military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernigiv” in order to “increase mutual trust and create the right conditions for future negotiations and reach the final aim of signing a peace deal with Ukraine.”

Fomin added that the Russian delegation will give more details on the decision to reduce military activity on their return to Moscow.

Speaking alongside Fomin, Russia’s chief negotiator Vladimir Medisnky said that the talks were “constructive” adding that Russia was taking “two steps to de-escalate the conflict.”

Medinsky said:

We received proposals from Ukraine to consider their clearly formulated position on inclusion in the peace treaty. These proposals will be looked at in the coming period and delivered to the President, and an answer will be given.

Medinsky also said that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy was possible in the future.

The meeting between Putin and Zelensky is possible simultaneously with the preliminary signing of a peace treaty.