The US and NATO aren't buying Russia's claims it's pulling troops away from Ukraine

• The US and NATO are rejecting Russia's claim that it's pulling troops back from Ukraine's border.
• "There's a difference between what Russia says and what it does," Blinken said on Wednesday.

The US and NATO are throwing cold water on Russia's claim that it's pulling some troops back from Ukraine's border.

"Unfortunately there's a difference between what Russia says and what it does, and what we're seeing is no meaningful pullback," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday in an appearance on ABC News. "On the contrary, we continue to see forces, especially forces that would be in the vanguard of any renewed aggression against Ukraine, continuing to be at the border, to mass at the border."

Russian officials on Tuesday said they were pulling back some forces from the Ukrainian border and on Tuesday released video it said showed tanks and military equipment leaving Crimea.

But Blinken warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could still pull the "trigger" and invade Ukraine at any moment, as a force of more than 130,000 troops surrounds the country.

"He could pull it today, he could pull it tomorrow, he could pull it next week," Blinken said. "The forces are there if he wants to renew aggression against Ukraine."

—John Hudson (@John_Hudson) February 16, 2022

Similarly, State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Wednesday told CNN that Washington's concern about the prospect of a Russian invasion "has not abated a single bit."

"We have continued to see Russian forces flow to the border, we've continued to see Russians along the border actually move into fighting positions...We know the Russian playbook. We know the Russians engage in misinformation and disinformation. We have good reason to believe the Russians are saying one thing and doing another in an effort to obfuscate, in an effort to hide the truth," Price said. "The threat is very real."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday said that there were signs from Moscow it was ready to continue diplomatic efforts to prevent a broader conflict. But the NATO chief added that the alliance has "not seen any de-escalation on the ground."

"On the contrary, it appears that Russia continues the military build-up," Stoltenberg said. "We will continue to convey a very clear message to Russia that we are ready to sit down and discuss with them. But at the same time, we are prepared for the worst. And if Russia once again invades Ukraine, they will pay a high price."

Stoltenberg also warned that Russian aggression is now a "new normal" in Europe.

Russia has a history of employing misdirection in its military operations, especially when it comes to Ukraine. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 and annexed Crimea, for example, it sent in masked soldiers in unmarked uniforms. At first, Moscow denied that the mysterious masked men were Russian forces. Putin later publicly admitted that these "little green men" were Russian military.

With tens of thousands of troops on Ukraine's border, Putin has made demands for binding security guarantees from the West. Among other things, Russia has demanded that Ukraine be permanently barred from joining NATO. The US and NATO have consistently said that this demand is a non-starter.

In a speech at the White House on Tuesday, President Joe Biden said the US had not yet verified Russia's claim that it was withdrawing some troops. Biden emphasized that the US would prioritize a diplomatic resolution to the crisis, while once again warning Russia that it would face severe economic consequences if it invades Ukraine. The president also underscored that the US would not bend to Russia's demands on Ukraine and NATO.

"We're proposing new arms control measures, new transparency measures, new strategic stability measures. These measures would apply to all parties — NATO and Russia alike," Biden said. "And we're willing to make practical, results-oriented steps that can advance our common security. We will not sacrifice basic principles, though."

"Nations have a right to sovereignty and territorial integrity," he added. "They have the freedom to set their own course and choose with whom they will associate."