‘Russia has pulled troops from Ukraine border’
Moscow: President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said that Moscow had pulled back its forces from the Ukrainian border amid Western fears of an imminent military invasion of Russia’s crisis-hit Western neighbour. “We were told constantly about concerns over our troops near the Ukrainian border. We have pulled them back. Today they are not at the Ukrainian border but in places of regular exercises, at training grounds,” he said after meeting with Swiss president and current OSCE chief Didier Burkhalter.
US slams Russia as Ukraine war fears rise
Slavyansk: The US accused Russia of plotting to annex more of Ukraine’s territory via a “bogus” referendum as Moscow rejected a new peace initiative ahead of talks with the pan-European OSCE.
Putin tells Ukraine rebels to delay referendums
Moscow: President Vladimir Putin told pro-Russian rebels fighting in east Ukraine to halt plans for independence referendums and said his troops had been withdrawn from the border, a potential breakthrough in the worst showdown between Moscow and the West since the Cold War. He hailed a planned May 25 presidential election in Ukraine, previously criticised by the Kremlin, as a “move in the right direction”.