NATO, Ukraine skeptical of Russia's partial troop withdrawal: 'We don't believe what we hear, we believe what we see'


Russia has begun returning troops stationed at the Ukrainian border to their bases, the Kremlin announced Tuesday, though both NATO and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky aren't entirely convinced, CNN and CNBC report.
Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense, said that Russian forces along the shared border with Ukraine had finished their military drills and "have already begun loading onto rail and road transport and will begin moving to their military garrisons today." He added that Russian troops in Belarus will return to base when their military exercises conclude on Feb. 20.
Other major drills will, however, continue, CNN notes.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
That said, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba isn't getting excited. "We in Ukraine have a rule: we don't believe what we hear, we believe what we see," he said in response to Moscow on Tuesday, per CNBC. "If a real withdrawal follows these statements, we will believe in the beginning of a real de-escalation."
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg essentially agreed with Kuleba during a press conference Tuesday, noting that while there's reason for "cautious optimism," the alliance had not yet seen "any sign of de-escalation on the ground from the Russian side."
"Russia has amassed a fighting force in and around Ukraine unprecedented since the Cold War," Stoltenberg said. "Everything is in place for a new attack. But Russia still has time to step back from the brink, stop preparing for war and start working for a peaceful solution."
Moscow said Tuesday that it "had always said its troops would return to their bases after participating in military exercises," CNBC writes.
According to U.S. intelligence, a Kremlin-led invasion could come as soon as Wednesday. Zelensky, unconvinced, instead declared the day one of national unity.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
How drone warfare works
The Explainer From Ukraine to Iran, it has become clear that unmanned aircraft are rapidly revolutionising modern warfare
-
How long can Nato keep Donald Trump happy?
Today's Big Question Military alliance pulls out all the stops to woo US president on his peacemaker victory lap
-
How far would Russia go for Iran?
Today's Big Question US air strikes represent an 'embarrassment, provocation and opportunity' all rolled into one for Vladimir Putin
-
Are the UK and Russia already at war?
Today's Big Question Moscow has long been on a 'menacing' war footing with London, says leading UK defence adviser
-
Is UK's new defence plan transformational or too little, too late?
Today's Big Question Labour's 10-year strategy 'an exercise in tightly bounded ambition' already 'overshadowed by a row over money'
-
How will the MoD's new cyber command unit work?
Today's Big Question Defence secretary outlines plans to combat 'intensifying' threat of cyberattacks from hostile states such as Russia
-
What are the different types of nuclear weapons?
The Explainer Speculation mounts that post-war taboo on nuclear weapons could soon be shattered by use of 'battlefield' missiles
-
The secret lives of Russian saboteurs
Under The Radar Moscow is recruiting criminal agents to sow chaos and fear among its enemies