US Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby. File photoWASHINGTON, Mar 29 Pentagon official John Kirby said that the Russian military near Kiev will regroup.» Were there some movements of some Russian forces away from Kyiv on the last day? Yes, we believe so, a small number. But we believe that this is a repositioning, not a real withdrawal,» Kirby said at a briefing. According to him, this does not mean that the threat to Kyiv has passed. On March 29, another round of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations took place in Istanbul. The meeting was held at the Dolmabahce Palace closed to the press and lasted about three hours. The Russian delegation, as in previous rounds, was headed by Vladimir Medinsky, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation. Following the talks, he, in particular, said that the Russian Federation, during a special operation in Ukraine, is significantly reducing military activity in the Kiev and Chernigov directions. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.» According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, on March 25, the Armed Forces completed the main tasks of the first stage of the operation — they significantly reduced the combat potential of Kyiv. With the support of the RF Armed Forces, the forces of the DPR and LPR are developing an offensive. At the same time, the occupation of Ukraine is out of the question, the President of Russia emphasized.
