Amid widespread reports of Russia pulling back troops and heavy equipment from the Ukrainian border, the White House and NATO are indicating that a Russian pullback has not been verified.
“That would be good, but we have not yet verified that,” Biden said as he addressed the nation from the White House. “Indeed, our analysts indicate that they remain very much in a threatening position.”
On Tuesday, President Biden said that the United States has not yet verified that some Russian military units were pulling back from the Ukraine border and returning to their bases, despite the claims made by Russian officials.
According to the Washington Post, Russia had positioned more than 150,000 troops along the Ukrainian border, up significantly from previous estimates of about 130,000. President Biden said that “an invasion remains distinctly possible.”
Mr. Biden's remarks were a dramatic shift from his administration's warnings of "imminent invasion."
Earlier on Tuesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he saw a reason for “cautious optimism” after Moscow signaled a willingness to continue talks to resolve the crisis over Ukraine and that some of its troops were pulling back.
Contributor(s)
Al K. Scott
Comments