With Moscow announcing its troops had begun returning to their bases after
exercises in Belarus, near the border with Ukraine, NATO Secretary General
Jens Stoltenberg said he saw hope for diplomacy to end the impasse between
Russia and the West.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of a meeting with defense ministers
from the alliance member states on Tuesday (15/2/2022), the head of the
military bloc conveyed his assessment of the current climate on the
Russia-Ukraine demarcation line.
"So far, we haven't seen any de-escalation on the ground, we haven't seen
any signs of diminishing Russia's military presence on the border with
Ukraine," he said.
"But we will continue to monitor and follow closely what Russia is doing."
However, according to Norway's former prime minister, there are signs coming
from Moscow of a willingness to continue to engage in diplomatic efforts.
"That gives us some reason for cautious optimism, but we will of course be
following closely what happens on the pitch."
"What we need to see is a significant and lasting withdrawal of troops,
troops and heavy equipment," he continued.
Earlier, the Moscow Defense Ministry announced that its troops had completed
their joint exercises in Belarus and would begin the withdrawal process.
Western leaders have expressed concern for months that Russia could be
planning an invasion of its neighbour, and have pointed to reports of a
troop buildup on the two countries' common border, as well as drills with
Minsk as potential precursors.
An unnamed US State Department official warned in January that the drills
could be linked to "plans for a possible" offensive against Ukraine.
The Kremlin has consistently denied that an attack would take place, and has
sought to secure a security agreement that would limit NATO's activities in
Eastern Europe, as well as the bloc's expansion.
However, Stoltenberg has criticized Russia's request for the bloc not to
recognize Ukraine, noting that Moscow "has no veto" on Kiev's path to
membership, and that it will not accept a "two-tier" membership system that
prevents it from deploying troops in certain states.
Russian President Vladimir Putin previously said that NATO had deceived
Moscow with false promises that it would not expand the space left after the
collapse of the Soviet Union.
“Not an inch to the East, they told us in the 1990s, and look what happened
– they tricked us, loudly and blatantly,” he said.
