{"id":67208,"date":"2022-02-15T11:17:23","date_gmt":"2022-02-15T11:17:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/02\/15\/russia-says-some-forces-pulling-back-amid-ukraine-crisis\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T11:59:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T11:59:20","slug":"russia-says-some-forces-pulling-back-amid-ukraine-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2022\/02\/15\/russia-says-some-forces-pulling-back-amid-ukraine-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia says some forces pulling back amid Ukraine crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Russia said Tuesday that some units participating in military exercises<\/a> would begin returning to their bases, adding to glimmers of hope that the Kremlin may not be planning to invade Ukraine imminently, though it gave no details on the pullback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The announcement came a day after Russia\u2019s foreign minister indicated the country was ready to keep talking about the security grievances that led to the Ukraine crisis \u2014 changing the tenor after weeks of rising tensions<\/a>. Still, Western officials continued to warn that an invasion could come at any moment and said some forces and military hardware were moving toward the border, muddying the picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t immediately clear where exactly the troops that the Russian Defense Ministry said were pulling back were deployed or how many were leaving, making it hard to understand the significance. The announcement pushed world markets and the ruble up, but Ukraine\u2019s leaders expressed skepticism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRussia constantly makes various statements,\u201d Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. \u201cThat\u2019s why we have the rule: We won\u2019t believe when we hear, we\u2019ll believe when we see. When we see troops pulling out, we\u2019ll believe in de-escalation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A U.S. defense official said the Pentagon is reviewing the Russian claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are aware of reports of Russian claims that they are withdrawing some forces away from the border with Ukraine,\u201d the defense official told Military Times. \u201cOur analysts are reviewing, but we have nothing further at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russia has massed more than 130,000 troops near Ukraine, sparking the fears of an invasion. Russia denies it has any plans to invade Ukraine, despite placing troops on Ukraine\u2019s borders to the north, south and east and launching massive military drills nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new glimmers of hope accompanied a flurry of diplomacy. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz planned to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, a day after he sat down with Ukraine\u2019s leader in Kyiv. Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau of Poland, one of Russia\u2019s most strident European critics, was also in Moscow on Tuesday to meet Lavrov, while Ukraine\u2019s foreign minister hosted his Italian counterpart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov\u2019s comments came at a made-for-TV meeting with Putin and seemed designed to send a message to the world about the Russian leader\u2019s position. The foreign minister argued that Moscow should hold more talks, despite the West\u2019s refusal to consider Russia\u2019s main demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The talks \u201ccan\u2019t go on indefinitely, but I would suggest to continue and expand them at this stage,\u201d Lavrov said, noting that Washington has offered to discuss limits for missile deployments in Europe, restrictions on military drills and other confidence-building measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moscow wants guarantees that NATO will not allow Ukraine and other former Soviet countries to join as members. It also wants the alliance to halt weapons deployments to Ukraine and roll back its forces from Eastern Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lavrov said possibilities for talks \u201care far from being exhausted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putin noted that the West could try to draw Russia into \u201cendless talks\u201d and questioned whether there is still a chance to reach agreement. Lavrov replied that his ministry would not allow the U.S. and its allies to stonewall Russia\u2019s main requests.<\/p>\n\n\n\t