Russia had announced that its military exercises in Crimea had ended and the troops would leave
The Russian Defense Ministry announced Wednesday morning that more troops will leave Crimea after completing military exercises, but leaders of Western countries are still skeptical about the significance of this step.
This comes in the wake of a claim that some Russian forces massed on the Ukrainian border yesterday withdrew.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said he had not yet seen any evidence that Russia had scaled back its operations.
He added in an interview with BBC Breakfast: “In reality, what we observe from material observations is the opposite.”
“Let’s remember that Crimea was a sovereign part of Ukraine, and Russia invaded in 2014 and annexed it illegally,” he said.
“So I’m not sure that this provides any reassurance to anyone that an occupying country is ending training,” he added.
“What we all want in the international community is to see Crimea return to Ukraine,” Wallace said.
picture released, Getty Images
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said he had not yet seen any evidence that Russia had scaled back its operations
Russia had announced that its military exercises in the Crimea had ended and that the troops would leave.
“Units of the Southern Military District, having completed their participation in tactical exercises, are moving to their permanent deployment centers,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The statement said that tanks, other military vehicles and artillery are leaving Crimea by rail, without specifying the number of troops that will leave.
State television footage showed military units apparently crossing the bridge and leaving Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
The announcement of the end of the Crimean exercises came a day after Russia announced that it was withdrawing some of its forces from areas near Ukraine.
picture released, Archyde.com
Biden’s statements came hours after Russia announced the start of withdrawing some of its forces
US President Joe Biden said Tuesday evening that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “remains a high possibility” and will cause huge casualties.
Biden stressed, in a speech broadcast by the American media, that his country is ready to respond to this possible Russian step.
Biden added that Russia has amassed about 150,000 troops on its border with Ukraine.
On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Minister said that his country had withdrawn some forces from its positions near the Ukrainian border, but Biden indicated that this had not yet been conclusively confirmed.
“It’s a good thing that the Russian forces are leaving, but we haven’t been sure yet, and we still haven’t been sure that the Russian military units are moving towards their barracks,” Biden said.
“In fact, our analysts still assert that these forces are largely concentrated in offensive formations,” he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced earlier that the points of concern to his country should be taken seriously by the West.
Putin denied his country’s planning for an invasion, and considered that Russia did not want a new war in Europe, and despite that, the escalation continued for 3 months.
Russia has deep ties to Ukraine, which was a former Soviet Union country.
Putin demands security guarantees that Ukraine will not join NATO, because he considers the expansion of the alliance a threat to Russian national security, and NATO refused to provide these guarantees.
Biden said he agreed to a proposal by Russia to continue diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis.
Biden warned that the US economy could be affected by fuel and energy shortages and high oil prices if Russia decides to invade Ukraine.
“The American people know that defending democracy and liberties is not possible without paying the price,” Biden said.
“I will not pretend that it will be without consequences,” he added.
Biden continued his speech, “I address the Russian people: You are not our enemy, and I do not think that you want a bloody conflict, a devastating war against Ukraine.”
NATO expressed “cautious satisfaction” with Russia’s announcement that it would withdraw some of its forces from its positions on the border with Ukraine.
In a phone call, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called on his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, to take “meaningful and credible” steps to de-escalate tensions.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote on his Twitter account, saying that there are “mixed messages coming from the Russian side, as our intelligence sources indicate that field hospitals are being built near the Ukrainian border, which can only be considered as a prelude to the invasion.”
On Tuesday, after a four-hour meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Schulz, Putin said that Russia does not want war.
“Are we willing to do this or not? Of course not, that’s exactly why we made several requests during the negotiation process,” Putin said during the press conference with Schultz.
Putin stressed that all the demands made by his country, as well as basic security guarantees, were rejected.
Russia is calling for NATO to decide on the decision to annex Ukraine immediately, while the process seems long, and Ukraine has not even begun to submit an application to join the alliance.
Schultz said the troop buildup “was not understood,” but that there was still a possibility that diplomatic efforts could succeed in resolving the crisis.
“I made it clear that we saw this build-up of forces as a threat, and of course we are deeply concerned,” he added during the press conference with Putin.