By Alexander Smith—
NBC News
Russia said on Wednesday that it was withdrawing more troops from around Ukraine.
It is the latest move in an apparent effort to ease tensions with the West, which nevertheless remains fearful that Moscow is planning an imminent invasion of its neighbor.
Russia says it is withdrawing some of the 150,000 troops that the United States and its allies warn have massed around Ukraine on three sides.
The Russian Defense Ministry released a video on Wednesday showing a trainload of armored vehicles driving away over a bridge from Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula that Moscow annexed in 2014. It came to light a day after the Russian President Vladimir Putin will also discuss the possibility of a diplomatic resolution of the crisis.
[Ukrainian president says he has been “informed” that Russia will attack on Wednesday, then retracts]
Yellow and blue Ukrainian flags fly in front of schools, hospitals, shops and at a stadium in Kiev on Wednesday, as the country celebrates "Unity Day."Sergei Chusavkov/AFP - Getty Images
In Kiev, where Ukrainian leaders have tried to downplay that alarm, the country celebrated a Day of National Unity in defiance of predictions of a Russian invasion.
[The United States orders the evacuation of its embassy in Ukraine due to fears of an imminent Russian invasion]
But
leaders in Washington and Europe have urged caution
as Moscow's intentions remain unclear and few details have been released on how many troops are withdrawing and where they are going.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that
Russia had in fact "increased the number of troops, and more troops are on the way."
Russian exercises continue near Ukraine while already recommending evacuation plans within the country
Feb. 16, 202201:46
“If they really start to withdraw forces, that is something we will welcome,” Stoltenberg assured reporters in Brussels, Belgium, but added that Russia “has always moved forces from one side to another”, so a “movement of forces , of tanks, does not confirm a real retreat”.
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Russia's invasion of Ukraine remains "a strong possibility," warning that it could also cause U.S. energy prices to rise.
[Mexico will help relocate Mexican families in Ukraine in the face of the threat of war with Russia]
Although the United States is willing to establish a diplomatic relationship, he said,
his Administration has not verified any partial withdrawal of troops.
While the United States and European powers have been adamant that a Russian attack is likely in the coming days, Ukrainian officials and citizens have taken a much more tempered tone in discussing the possibility of a Russian attack. Moscow.
Biden doubts the withdrawal of Russian troops and says he is trying to avoid "incredible human suffering"
Feb. 16, 202200:45
Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared to scoff at media reports that the invasion would begin on Wednesday.
"Some have tried to scare us with war," he said.
“They have even named the specific date of the invasion.
It's not the first time,” he added.
Instead, he announced a Day of National Unity on Wednesday, with Ukrainians raising the blue and yellow national flag and playing the national anthem.
[Russia releases images of its military deployment on the border]
Meanwhile, Russia, which has always denied planning an invasion, has also resorted to bitter sarcasm in the face of Western alarm.
Russian Army tanks prepare to return to their permanent base after exercises in Russia, Tuesday, February 15, 2022. Russian Defense Ministry press service via AP
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, wrote on her Telegram channel that the Western media should inform Moscow when the invasion will begin, as she "would like to plan a vacation."
And Russia's envoy to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov, told the German newspaper Die Welt that
"there will be no escalation in the next week, nor in the next, nor in the next month"
, before adding that "the wars in Europe rarely start on a Wednesday."