Russian Forces Continue To Bombard Areas Around Kyiv Where Moscow Pledged To Scale Back

Russia's military had announced plans to de-escalate near Kyiv and Chernihiv to "increase mutual trust" but the move was seen with deep suspicion by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

New Delhi: Ukrainian authorities said Wednesday said that Russian forces continued to bombard areas around the capital Kyiv and another city, just hours after Moscow pledged to scale back military operations in those places to help negotiations between the two countries.

The intensified Russian attacks, which included shelling, on other parts of Ukraine also came as a setback amid hope for progress in the talks aimed at ending the conflict, the Associated Press reported.

Russia's military had on Tuesday announced plans to de-escalate near the capital and the northern city of Chernihiv to "increase mutual trust" but the move was seen with deep suspicion by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well as the West.

Following this, Ukrainian officials reported Russian shelling that targeted homes, stores, libraries, and other civilian sites in Chernihiv and on the outskirts of Kyiv.

Russian troops also stepped up their attacks around the eastern city of Izyum and the eastern Donetsk region, as some units were redeployed from other areas, the Ukrainian side said, as reported by AP.

Ukraine Refugees Top 4 Million

As the Russian invasion reached five weeks since the military offensive began, the number of Ukrainians fleeing the country topped a staggering 4 million, according to the United Nations.

The economic repercussions from the armed conflict and the West's sanctions against Moscow have also widened.

Meanwhile, the U.N. food aid agency said it is providing emergency assistance to 1 million people in Ukraine.

Importantly, the head of Russia's delegation in talks with Ukraine this week said that Kyiv's readiness to consider a neutral status would meet a key Russian demand.

At a round of talks held Tuesday in Istanbul, the Ukrainian delegation is reported to have offered a framework under which Kyiv would declare itself neutral, dropping its bid to join NATO, in return for security guarantees from a group of other countries.

Moscow has long demanded that the threat of creating a NATO bridgehead on the Ukrainian territory be removed.

(With Agency Inputs)