Russia is returning some of its forces in areas bordering Ukraine to their bases
Russia's Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that some forces in military districts bordering Ukraine have begun returning to their bases after completing exercises, in a move that would ease the row between Moscow and the West.
A ministry spokesman said in a video clip posted on the Internet that large-scale exercises are continuing across the country, but some units in the southern and western military regions have completed their exercises and started returning to their bases.
Video footage released by the Ministry of Defense showed the loading of some tanks and other armored vehicles onto railway cars.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying that Kiev would not "believe in de-escalation" until it sees the withdrawal of Russian forces.
The report quoted Kuleba as saying, "We constantly hear different statements from the Russian Federation, so we have a rule... We believe what we see (only). If we see a withdrawal, we will believe in de-escalation."
Russia has massed more than 100,000 of its forces near the Ukrainian border, raising fears of an invasion of Ukraine, especially since the joint exercises Moscow is conducting with Belarus between February 10 and 20 mean that the Russian army is almost encircling Ukraine.
For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Russia will continue dialogue with the West on security issues, and that it is ready to engage in separate talks on medium-range nuclear missiles.
Speaking after talks with his Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau in Moscow, Lavrov rejected reports that Moscow is planning to invade Ukraine, describing it as "media terrorism."
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