'We'll see,' Biden says after Russia vows scale back of Ukraine war

WASHINGTON

US President Joe Biden adopted a wait-and-see posture Tuesday after Russia announced it would scale back its offensive on two Ukrainian cities.

"We'll see. I don't read anything into it until I see what their actions are. We'll see if they follow through on what they're suggesting," Biden told reporters at the White House alongside Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. "Let's just see what they have to offer."

In the interim, Biden said the US and its allies would continue to enforce the sweeping sanctions they have imposed on Russia in retaliation for its war on Ukraine and would maintain ongoing military aid to reinforce the Ukrainian military.

Earlier Tuesday, Russia said it will significantly decrease its military activities in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv to increase trust for future negotiations.

The country's deputy defense minister said following peace talks in Istanbul that Moscow would "radically decrease" its military offensives on the cities to create the "conditions for holding talks further, and achieving the final goal of agreeing and signing a peace treaty."

The announcement falls short of a nationwide humanitarian cease-fire called for by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday. But Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Russia's delegation to the Istanbul talks, said a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian presidents could be held when a draft of a peace treaty is ready and approved.

Russia's war against Ukraine, which started on Feb. 24, has been met with international outrage, with the EU, US, and the UK, among others, implementing stringent economic penalties on Moscow.

Hundreds of global companies have also suspended operations in Russia.

At least 1,179 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 1,860 injured, according to estimates by the UN, which noted that the true figure is likely far higher.

More than 3.9 million Ukrainians have also fled to several European countries, with millions more displaced inside the country, according to the UN refugee agency.