The United States has warned that it expects “actions, not words” on the withdrawal of Russian troops near Ukraine.

After Russia announced on Thursday that from tomorrow it will start reducing its presence in the area near the border with Ukraine, a move that has lasted for days and has exacerbated international tensions, The United States cautioned that it expected “actions, not words” in this regard..

“We have heard the words. I think what we’ll be looking for are stocksThe State Department spokesperson told reporters, Ned Prize.

Moscow’s announcement took place on Thursday, on the same day, he carried out a series of major exercises in Crimea, the occupied and annexed peninsula of Kiev in 2014.

More than 10,000 military personnel, 1,200 arms and military materiel units from the Combined Forces of the Southern Military District, Black Sea Fleet, Caspian Flotilla and Airborne Forces are participating in the exercises. So make over 40 warships and 20 support ships.

However, whatever the scale of the mobilization, it did not come close to the estimated total number of Moscow troops in the region. A few days ago, the European Union estimated that 150,000 soldiers were there, ensuring that it was the “largest deployment of the Russian army on the Ukrainian border and involved a” clear risk of further escalation.

NATO has taken note of the announcement of the withdrawal of Russian soldiers, but he assured that he will remain “vigilant”.

In contrast, Russia has ensured that its soldiers They carried out the exercises precisely to deal with Ukrainian provocations and NATO “threatening” activities on its borders.

In another apparent de-escalation event, Russian President Vladimir Putin he said he was ready to receive “at any time” his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodimir Zelenski, in Moscow to deal with strained bilateral relations.

But Putin suggested that if he wanted to discuss the conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, he should do so with the leaders of the two self-proclaimed rebel republics.

Ukrainian President, for his part, did not directly refer to Putin’s invitation but he also welcomed the withdrawal of Russian troops, as it “leads to a proportional reduction in tension”, although he specifies that he will continue to be “vigilant”. Kiev had previously expressed fear of a Russian “invasion”, although the Kremlin said it “was not threatening anyone”.

“Reliable defense”

“The troops have demonstrated their ability to provide reliable defense,” said the Russian Defense Minister.Sergei Shoigu, in a statement in which he explained that he had ordered them to return to “their permanent bases” on Friday.

Moscow also restricted the navigation of foreign military ships and officers for six months in three areas off the Crimean coast, in particular around the Kerch Peninsula.

This area is very controversial due to its proximity to the Kerch Strait which connects the Black Sea to the Sea of ​​Azov and which is crucial for exports of grain or steel produced in Ukraine. These limitations have been called “escalation” by Washington.

Meanwhile, despite the easing of tensions with the withdrawal of Russian troops near the border with Ukraine, the conflict between Kiev and pro-Russian separatists continues in the east of the country, killing dozens since January. .

Shortly before the announcement of the end of the Russian maneuvers, Ukrainian soldiers stationed near the town of Pisky, on the outskirts of Donetsk, one of the strongholds of pro-Russian separatists, expressed their doubts that the conflict could be resolved through dialogue.

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