No sign of Russian troop withdrawals from Ukraine border

Ukraine Crisis

WASHINGTON - A spokesman of US Defense Department said on Wednesday that there is no evidence of any Russian troop withdrawals from its shared border with Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin announced Wednesday that he had ordered troops to pull back from the border region to training areas.

Despite this announcement, Pentagon spokesman Steve Warren said, "we have seen no change in the Russian force posture along the Ukrainian border."

"We would know," the officer added.

The United States continues its call for Russia to withdraw its troops from the border and to work with the international community to find a peaceful solution to the crisis, he said.

On the same day, the White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at a press briefing that there has been no evidence that such a withdrawal has taken place.

"We would certainly welcome a meaningful and transparent withdrawal of military - of Russian military forces from the border," he said.

That's something that we have sought for quite some time, he said, adding that "there is no evidence to date that there has been a meaningful and transparent withdrawal of Russian forces from the Ukrainian border."

So far, tensions have remained unabated in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russia activists are engaged in conflicts with government troops.