Tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine appeared to ease slightly after Moscow said it had pulled back some of its troops deployed near the border, a claim that provided what NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg called “grounds for cautious optimism.”
President Vladimir Putin told a news conference on February 15 following talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Moscow that Russia had decided to partially withdraw troops from areas around the border with Ukraine and saw some room for further discussion with the West on Moscow’s security demands.
The Russian leader sparked fears of large-scale war in Europe after amassing an estimated 130,000 combat-ready troops on Ukraine’s border as he seeks to coerce Kyiv and the West into making security concessions.
Putin said during the meeting with Scholz that he was open to further talks with the West on his demands, easing concerns over an imminent attack on Ukraine.
“We are ready to work further together. We are ready to go down the negotiations track,” Putin told a joint press conference with Scholz as he confirmed an earlier Russian Defense Ministry statement of a partial pullback of troops.
Scholz said he saw some hints of progress in his talks with Putin and called the move to pull back some troops, which has yet to be independently detailed and verified, a “good sign” toward de-escalating a crisis that has threatened to break out into military conflict.
Diplomatic options were “far from exhausted,” he added after more than three hours of talks with the Russian leader.
“There were enough points of departure indicating a good development,” he said. “It shows that it is worth sticking with it and trying to make progress despite broad points of disagreement.”
Speaking in Brussels, Stoltenberg said the comments coming from Moscow were “grounds for cautious optimism,” but added that the alliance had yet to see any proof of a Russian troop withdrawal.
During a phone call later in the day, U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed on the need to verify the pullback.
The Kremlin in December issued a list of demands to the United States and NATO calling on the U.S.-led military alliance to end its eastern expansion, including a ban on Ukrainian membership.
The Kremlin also called for NATO to roll back all its advances in Central and Eastern Europe since the collapse of the Soviet Union as it seeks to undo what it considers to be an unfavorable outcome to the end of the Cold War.
So far, 14 countries in Central and Eastern Europe have joined NATO and more are seeking admission in large part to protect themselves from Russian aggression.
The United States and NATO have rejected Russia’s core demands, saying countries should be free to choose their own foreign policy, but have left the door open to talks on other issues raised by the Kremlin, including missile deployment and transparency of military exercises.
In London, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that while Britain too saw signs of a diplomatic opening with Russia over Ukraine, the latest intelligence was still not encouraging.
“Going into today clearly there are signs of a diplomatic opening, there always has been an opportunity to talk, there are grounds for a conversation about Ukraine, with Ukraine — and that’s good. We are seeing Russian openness to conversations,” Johnson told reporters.
“On the other hand, the intelligence that we’re seeing today is still not encouraging,” he said.
WATCH: U.K. Ambassador to Kyiv Melinda Simmons says she is not sure Russia’s top officials entirely understand the costs of a potential military invasion of Ukraine.
Putin said Russia “of course” did not want to see the outbreak of war in Europe but added he was disappointed that there had not been a constructive response to Russia’s security demands.
“We are ready to work further together. We are ready to go down the negotiations track,” he said of continued dialogue on missiles and other security issues with the West.
He also claimed without presenting any evidence that Ukraine was committing “genocide” in its eastern regions, where many native Russian-speakers live.
The comment raised concern of a provocation for an invasion, as Putin has said in the past that Moscow is ready to protect ethnic Russians outside its borders.
Scholz called Putin’s “genocide” statement “wrong.”
Russia began its most recent troop buildup in late October before pressing for the sweeping security demands.
The Kremlin’s aggressive action has sparked a whirlwind of diplomacy over the past two months as Western allies attempt to deter an invasion. Putin and Biden have spoken at least three times since December.
The West has threatened to impose severe sanctions on Russia should it invade Ukraine. However, the United States and its European allies have differences over which sanctions to impose and what military actions would trigger them, something some analysts say Putin is seeking to exploit.
Germany is heavily dependent on Russian energy to fuel its economy, Europe’s largest.
Biden said last week at a White House meeting with Scholz that he would impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2, the new Russian natural-gas pipeline to Germany, if the Kremlin proceeded with an attack on Ukraine.
Scholz declined to say whether Berlin was ready to put the $11 billion pipeline on the sanctions table.
Nord Stream 2 would reroute gas destined for Germany under the Baltic Sea, circumventing an existing land route through Ukraine and depriving Kyiv of about $2 billion in transit fees.
During the press conference with Scholz, Putin reiterated that Russian-German energy cooperation remained a priority for Moscow and called Berlin a key partner.
Putin claimed Nord Stream 2 would guarantee European energy security, a claim Washington rejects.
Scholz’s trip to the Russian capital follows similar trips for crisis talks last week by Macron and two British ministers.
Scholz, who met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on February 14 in Kyiv, had urged Russia to take immediate steps toward reducing the tensions triggered by the buildup of troops and military hardware near the border with Ukraine.
Russia has insisted it has no plan to invade but at the same time has said it wants guarantees on European security issues, including a commitment by NATO not to expand to countries like Ukraine, or another former Soviet republic, Georgia.
However, Russia’s envoy to the European Union warned on February 15 that Moscow could invade Ukraine if “provoked” by an attack on Russian citizens inside the country.
“We will not invade Ukraine unless we are provoked to do that,” Vladimir Chizhov was quoted as saying by Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency.
“If the Ukrainians launch an attack against Russia, you shouldn’t be surprised if we counterattack. Or, if they start blatantly killing Russian citizens anywhere — the Donbas or wherever,” he said, referring to the eastern Ukrainian region controlled by Moscow-backed separatists who have been fighting Ukrainian government forces since April 2014.
Chizhov’s comments follow repeated warnings by Washington that Russia is planning so-called “false flag” incidents as a pretext for an invasion of Ukraine.
The U.S. warnings were echoed by Britain’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who said on February 15 that an imminent invasion of Ukraine remained very probable, and Russian troops could reach Kyiv “very, very quickly.”
Live Briefing: Ukraine In The Crosshairs
Check out RFE/RL’s new live briefing on the massive buildup of Russian forces near Ukraine’s border and the diplomacy under way to prevent a possible invasion. Ukraine In The Crosshairs presents the latest developments and analysis, updated throughout the day.
“It is still the case that an invasion could be imminent, and it is highly likely,” she said.
Amid U.S. warnings of a possible imminent Russian invasion, Zelenskiy decreed February 16 a day of unity.
U.S. intelligence has reportedly indicated February 16 as a possible date for Russian military action.
“We are told that February 16 will be the day of the invasion, we will make it the day of unity,” Zelenskiy said in a video on the evening of February 14.
Ukrainians are expected to raise flags across the country and sing the anthem at 10 a.m. local time. “Let’s show the whole world our unity,” Zelenskiy said.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre on February 14 repeated a warning that Russia could launch an attack on Ukraine “at any time, including this week.” Jean-Pierre told reporters that the United States is “clear-eyed” about the situation on the ground.