Russia says some troops will withdraw from border, but Ukraine demands evidence

Russia is pulling back some troops from military districts adjacent to Ukraine after completing drills, the Russian defense ministry said Tuesday, though Ukrainian officials are demanding to see evidence that this is true.

In a video statement Tuesday, Russian Ministry of Defense spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that while large-scale military exercises across the country continued, some forces in the southern and western military districts near Ukraine have completed their drills and will return to base, Reuters reported.

The Russian government posted video showing some tanks and other armored vehicles being loaded onto railway flatcars.

But Ukraine isn't taking Russia's claims at face value. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Kyiv would "believe in de-escalation" only after it witnesses Russian troops withdraw from the border, according to the Interfax Ukraine news agency.

"We continuously hear different statements from the Russian federation, so we have a rule ... we believe what we see. If we see the pullout, we will believe in de-escalation," Kuleba reportedly said.

NATO officials echoed Ukraine's skepticism of Russia's intentions. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said there were no signs of de-escalation on the ground during a press conference Tuesday, according to Newsweek.

"Everything is now in place for a new attack, but Russia still has time to step back from the brink," Stoltenberg said.

Russia has massed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine's borders over several months, leading Western governments to believe President Vladimir Putin intends to invade. Western analysts have long suspected Putin has ambitions to expand Russia's borders and restore the perceived greatness of the Soviet Union as a superpower. Russia has deep historical ties to Ukraine, a former Soviet state, and Putin has described the collapse of the Soviet Union as "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century."

While Putin has insisted there are no plans to launch an invasion of Ukraine, Russia previously annexed Crimea in 2014. Russia has excused the buildup of troops along Ukraine's borders as an act of deterrence against alleged Western aggression. Moscow has demanded legally binding guarantees from the United States and its allies that Kyiv will not be allowed to join NATO. Washington and Brussels have so far rebuffed these demands.

The White House said Friday that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is imminent and could happen at any time this week. The United States has partially moved its forces out of Ukraine and ordered the evacuation of most embassy staff in expectation of war. State Department officials have warned any American citizens residing in Ukraine to flee the country before hostilities begin, emphasizing that the U.S. will not be able to extract them in the event of war between Russia and Ukraine.

European leaders have met with Putin seeking a diplomatic resolution to the crisis. President Joe Biden and other world leaders have threatened Russia with severe economic sanctions should Moscow proceed with an invasion.