The United States is skeptical of Russia's promise to curtail military assaults on Ukraine's capital Kyiv and its northern city Chernihiv, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday, following cease-fire talks between Kyiv and Moscow.
Kirby described the movement of some Russian units away from Kyiv as "a repositioning, not a real withdrawal," cautioning of the possibility of major offensives against other areas of Ukraine. He renewed U.S. calls for a complete Russian withdrawal from the country.
"Nobody should be fooling ourselves" by Moscow's offer to pull back its military from Kyiv and Chernihiv, he said, adding that Russia had failed in its objective to capture the Ukrainian capital but can still inflict "massive brutality" on the country.
The new development came after representatives from Ukraine and Russia held negotiations in Istanbul, with Moscow making its most significant pledge as its invasion of the neighboring country enters its fifth week.
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Kirby's statements were an echo of U.S. President Joe Biden's skepticism regarding Russia's vow. "I don't read anything into it until I see what their actions are," Biden said earlier. "We'll see if they follow through on what they're suggesting."
Biden agreed during his telephone talks with the leaders of France, Britain, Germany and Italy to maintain sanctions on Moscow as they monitor developments in the situation.
As part of its concessions, Ukraine has said it is prepared to relinquish joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and adopt neutrality in return for security guarantees.
Kyiv wants the guarantors to be the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China -- as well as Turkey, Germany, Canada, Italy, Poland and Israel.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a member of Ukraine's delegation and adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, told local media that these countries including nuclear-weapon states are major military powers, and that a new security model would be created if the proposal is agreed upon.
Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that the country's main attention and efforts will be focused on achieving "the liberation of Donbas," a pro-Russia separatist region in eastern Ukraine, according to Tass news agency.
Russian attacks still continue on the port city of Mariupol -- a key area that links the Donbas region containing pro-Russian separatists with Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
Local media also quoted the leader of the Russia-backed, self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine as saying Tuesday that the separatists would consider joining Russia once they control all of the Donetsk region.
Similarly, the head of the other separatist region, the Luhansk People's Republic, had earlier suggested a referendum could be held in the area in the near future on whether to join Russia.
Last month, the two breakaway regions were unilaterally recognized as independent by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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