Russia has pulled back its troops from the Ukrainian border, Vladimir
Putin told diplomats Wednesday as he urged insurgents in southeastern
Ukraine to postpone their planned referendum Sunday on autonomy.
But the U.S. military said it had seen no sign of a Russian troop pullback.
"We've seen no change in the Russian force posture along the Ukrainian border," said a Pentagon spokesman, U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren. Without commenting on how the U.S. is monitoring activity along the border, Warren said "we would know" if Russian troops were on the move.
In a Moscow meeting with Swiss president Didier Burkhalter, Putin said the Russian troops have been pulled back to their training grounds and locations for "regular exercises," but didn't specify whether those locations were in areas near Ukraine. A Defense Ministry spokesman declined to say where the troops were now positioned.
Despite Putin's comments, pro-Russia militants calling themselves the Donetsk People's Republic said they would still hold the referendum on Sunday.
Putin also described Ukraine's May 25 presidential election as a move "in the right direction," and said his talk with Burkhalter, who is chairman-in-office for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, encouraged him that "our approaches (to Ukraine) coincide."
The Russian leader still repeated Russia's long-held stance that constitutional reforms must precede any nationwide vote in Ukraine..
In Berlin, a leading Ukrainian presidential candidate said he was prepared to negotiate a decentralization of power as pro-Russia insurgents in the east have demanded.
Read more: Ukraine crisis: Vladimir Putin says troops pulled back from border - World - CBC News
But the U.S. military said it had seen no sign of a Russian troop pullback.
"We've seen no change in the Russian force posture along the Ukrainian border," said a Pentagon spokesman, U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren. Without commenting on how the U.S. is monitoring activity along the border, Warren said "we would know" if Russian troops were on the move.
In a Moscow meeting with Swiss president Didier Burkhalter, Putin said the Russian troops have been pulled back to their training grounds and locations for "regular exercises," but didn't specify whether those locations were in areas near Ukraine. A Defense Ministry spokesman declined to say where the troops were now positioned.
Despite Putin's comments, pro-Russia militants calling themselves the Donetsk People's Republic said they would still hold the referendum on Sunday.
Putin also described Ukraine's May 25 presidential election as a move "in the right direction," and said his talk with Burkhalter, who is chairman-in-office for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, encouraged him that "our approaches (to Ukraine) coincide."
The Russian leader still repeated Russia's long-held stance that constitutional reforms must precede any nationwide vote in Ukraine..
In Berlin, a leading Ukrainian presidential candidate said he was prepared to negotiate a decentralization of power as pro-Russia insurgents in the east have demanded.
Read more: Ukraine crisis: Vladimir Putin says troops pulled back from border - World - CBC News
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