MOSCOW: Russia said on Tuesday some of its troops were returning to base after exercises near Ukraine and mocked Western warnings about a looming invasion, but Nato said it had yet to see any evidence of a de-escalation that could avert a military conflict.

Moscow did not say how many units were being withdrawn, and how far, after a buildup of some 130,000 Russian troops to the north, east and south of Ukraine that has triggered one of the worst crises in relations with the West since the Cold War.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said after meeting President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin that the withdrawal of some Russian troops was a good sign.

Others were more cautious. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said “the intelligence that we’re seeing today is still not encouraging”, and Ukraine said the reported pullback needed to be seen to be believed.

“If we see a withdrawal, we will believe in a de-escalation,” Interfax quoted Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba as saying.

Nato’s chief welcomed signals from Russia in the past two days that it may be looking for a diplomatic solution, but urged Moscow to demonstrate its will to act.

“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 from the Russian side,” Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters.

He said Russia often left military equipment behind after exercises, creating the potential for forces to regroup.

At a joint news conference with Scholz, Putin referred only briefly to the troop moves and did not go into detail.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2022