Russian military to significantly reduce hostilities near Kiev, Chernihiv

MOSCOW, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Defense Ministry has decided to significantly reduce military activity in the Kiev and Chernihiv directions, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin announced Tuesday.

The decision was made to increase mutual trust between Russia and Ukraine and create the necessary conditions for further negotiations, Fomin said following the new round of Moscow-Kiev peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey.

According to him, during Tuesday's negotiations, progress was made on the preparation for a treaty on the neutral and non-nuclear status of Ukraine as well as security guarantees to Ukraine.