Russia's Announcement of 'Military Activity Reduction'... Biden Warns "Will Judge Based on Actions"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] The Biden administration in the United States expressed a cautious stance on the 29th (local time) regarding Russia's announcement of an immediate reduction in military activities, claiming progress in negotiations with Ukraine, stating "We will judge by Russia's actions, not words."

President Joe Biden, during a joint press conference immediately after talks with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the White House, responded to a question about Russia's announcement by saying, "We will wait and see," adding, "We will not make any assumptions until we see them take action."

President Biden mentioned that he had spoken earlier that morning with leaders of key NATO member countries such as the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, emphasizing, "Let's watch their proposals. But until then, we will continue strong sanctions and support the Ukrainian military to defend themselves."

Earlier, Russia announced after the fifth round of peace talks with Ukraine, which lasted four hours in Istanbul, Turkey, that it would "significantly reduce military activities in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is on a Middle East tour, also evaluated this by saying, "We have not seen any truly serious signals from Russia regarding the pursuit of peace." He warned, "It could be another attempt to deceive people into thinking that Russia has not done what it has done."

John Kirby, Pentagon spokesperson, confirmed during a briefing that a small number of Russian troops had moved from Kyiv but assessed, "This is not an actual withdrawal but a redeployment." He emphasized that "this does not mean the threat to Kyiv is over," highlighting that Russian attacks continue.

Meanwhile, the White House, in a separate press release on the same day, stated that the leaders of the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany held a call and "confirmed the decision to continue sanctions so that Russia pays a greater price for its invasion of Ukraine," adding, "At the same time, we will continue security support to enable Ukraine to defend itself."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.