NATO continued to put pressure on Russia on Tuesday after some Russian troops began withdrawing from the Ukrainian border, raising hopes that the Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing to draw down his forces and de-escalate tensions with the West.
The alliance’s top official on Tuesday welcomed signals that Russia may be looking for a diplomatic solution amid a military build-up on Ukraine’s border.
But he urged Moscow to demonstrate its will to act.
“There are signs from Moscow that diplomacy should continue. This gives grounds for cautious optimism, “ NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.
“But so far we have not seen any sign of de-escalation on the ground from the Russian side”, he added ahead of a two-day meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.
“Russia has amassed a fighting force in and around Ukraine unprecedented since the cold war. Everything is now in place for a new attack,” he said.
Moscow has placed 130,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders. The West has warned that an invasion could happen this week.
But on Tuesday, the defense ministry in Moscow said some troops were withdrawing after training drills ended.
Large-scale drills will continue around the Ukraine.
“Russia still has time to step back from the brink, stop preparing for war and start working for a peaceful solution”, Mr. Stoltenberg said.
He called the current situation the “most serious security crisis we have faced in Europe for decades”.
There were also warnings out of Washington overnight that forces are actually being moved closer to the border and into ‘attack positions’.
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