[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] A senior U.S. government official stated that Russia's claim of withdrawing some troops from the border area with Ukraine is false, and rather, about 7,000 troops have been reinforced in recent days, escalating the controversy. NATO and Ukraine have also reportedly denied Russia's claim, saying there is no sign of troop withdrawal.
On the 16th (local time), the Associated Press reported, citing a senior U.S. official who requested anonymity, that Russia's claim of troop withdrawal is false, and that up to 7,000 additional troops have been deployed near the border with Ukraine.
In an interview with the AP, the official said, "Russia publicly proposes dialogue and appears to lead tension reduction on the surface, but behind the scenes, it is preparing for war."
Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said in a press briefing that "there is a big difference between what Russia says and what it does," and firmly stated, "There is no sign of troop withdrawal at all."
Not only the U.S., but NATO and Ukraine have also stated that they have not detected any movement of Russian troop withdrawal. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference that "so far, we have seen no signs of tension reduction on the ground, nor any withdrawal of troops or equipment." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also refuted Russia's claim, saying, "They only talk about withdrawal, but there is no actual withdrawal in the border area."
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