An Ukrainian serviceman walks past destroyed buildings in the village of Shyrokyne near Mariupol, the last large city in eastern Ukraine controlled by Kiev. Photo by ALEKSEY FILIPPOV/AFP via Getty Images
Russian Statements Draw ‘Cautious Optimism,’ But Troops Aren’t Leaving Yet, NATO Says
Stoltenberg hails “signs from Moscow that diplomacy should continue” but says there’s no sign of de-escalation so far.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Moscow is ready to come to the negotiating table and withdraw troops from the Ukrainian border, words that NATO officials greeted with “cautious optimism.”
Moscow’s new stance marks a rapid shift from the previous day, when American officials said Russia was continuing to send troops to the Ukrainian border and an invasion could launch “with little to no warning.”
Putin said he is prepared to meet with NATO and the U.S. to discuss shared priorities such as limiting where intermediate-range missiles can be deployed in Europe and increasing transparency about exercises in Europe, the Associated Press reported. The Russian leader’s remarks follow a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defence that troops are leaving the Ukrainian border following the completion of a military exercise.
“The units of the Southern and Western military districts, having completed their tasks, have already begun loading onto rail and road transport and will begin moving to their military garrisons today,” Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Defence Ministry, said in the statement.
Russia officials said these words constituted evidence that Russia never intended to attack Ukraine and that the conflict only arose after being stoked by the United States.
“February 15, 2022 will go down in history as the day of failure of Western propaganda war. Embarrassed and destroyed without firing a shot,” Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote on Facebook.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance has not seen evidence yet that Russia is withdrawing forces, but that Russia’s willingness to continue diplomacy is a positive step forward.
“There are signs from Moscow that diplomacy should continue. This gives grounds for cautious optimism, but so far we have not seen any sign of de-escalation on the ground,” Stoltenberg said at a press conference Tuesday.
Ukrainian officials were more skeptical.
“We in Ukraine have a rule: we don’t believe what we hear, we believe what we see,” Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba tweeted. “If a real withdrawal follows these statements, we will believe in the beginning of a real de-escalation.”