David kills Goliath part 2.
Via Axios:
Russia’s defense ministry said Tuesday it would drastically scale back military operations near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv in order to “increase mutual trust” for a potential peace deal with Ukraine — though advances on both cities had already stalled.
Why it matters: The announcement came after several hours of peace talks in Istanbul that both Russian and Ukrainian negotiators characterized as constructive, but there has yet to be a clear on-the-ground reduction in forces or shelling.