U.S. Skeptical of Russian Promises: "Real Withdrawal From Ukraine Is Complete Withdrawal "

Washington on Tuesday reacted with deep skepticism to Moscow'’s promises to dial back operations in Ukraine in an effort to increase trust in ongoing talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials in Turkey.

“We'll see... I don't read anything into it until I see what their actions are,” President Joe Biden told reporters on Moscow’s announcement that it would cut back operations in Kiev, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

Biden, during an appearance with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong following bilateral talks at the White House, said he was waiting to see what the Kremlin offers in ongoing talks with Ukraine and how Moscow readjusts its troop presence.

Negotiations in Istanbul between Ukrainian and Russian officials seemed to yield some progress to a possible high level meeting

However, U.S, and Western intelligence officials cautioned on Tuesday that while they had seen a recent reduction in Russian attacks around Kyiv and Chernihiv, violence had continued unabated and even grown elsewhere, particularly in southern and eastern Ukraine.

"Reports show that some — but not many — Russian forces have indeed moved away from the area. But where those troops are going and why is likely less about signaling a willingness to end a bloody and illegal war, and more about repositioning forces elsewhere to focus on alternative and potentially more successful military objectives" - Pentagon officials said.

"Has there been some movement by some Russian units away from Kyiv in the last day or so? Yeah. We think so. Small numbers," John Kirby, Pentagon Press Secretary told reporters.  "But we believe that this is a repositioning, not a real withdrawal, and that we all should be prepared to watch for a major offensive against other areas of Ukraine." 

A real commitment, a believable one, Kirby said, would involve a complete withdrawal of all Russian forces from Ukraine.  "... The war could end today if Mr. Putin did the right thing and actually withdrew all his forces from Ukraine and respect Ukrainian sovereignty." 

From the onset, Kirby said, the Russians have attempted to mislead the world and its own people about its intentions for Ukraine. 

"We've seen that Russia has attempted now for going on a month to sell this war of theirs to its domestic audience as a 'liberation of the Donbas...  However, the intensified rhetoric over the last year and in the lead-up to Russia's invasion, demonstrated that the Kremlin's real intent was to overthrow the democratically elected government and to occupy or annex large portions of Ukraine." 

Despite Moscow's promises to move out of Kyiv, Kirby said, the city can't be considered safe. It's still at risk from continued Russian aggression. 

"The United States, together with our allies and partners ... are going to continue to provide that support going forward to meet their security needs as they bravely stand up to this Russian aggression," he said. 

Biden on Tuesday spoke with French president Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian PM Mario Draghi and British PM Boris Johnson.

"The leaders affirmed their determination to continue raising costs on Russia for its brutal attacks in Ukraine, as well as to continue supplying Ukraine with security assistance to defend itself against this unjustified and unprovoked assault." White House said in a readout.

"They reviewed their efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to the millions affected by the violence, both inside Ukraine and seeking refuge in other countries, and underscored the need for humanitarian access to civilians in Mariupol."

Washington also Tuesday night applauded expulsions of Russian intelligence officers by Europe and around the world.

"As our partners have outlined, these actions are in response to these individuals’ activities, which are in contravention of their diplomatic status, and the Russian Federation’s aggression in Ukraine" - State Department said in a statement.

"We stand unified with our partners in protecting their national security from the Russian Federation’s intelligence threats and against threats to democracy."

Several EU countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands and Ireland, expelled dozens of Russian diplomats on Tuesday.

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.