NATO chief questions Russian troop pullback

NATO has urged Russia to prove it is pulling back troops from around Ukraine’s borders, with the military alliance’s secretary-general warning of signs that Moscow was massing more forces near its neighbour despite claims of a drawdown.

“It remains to be seen whether there is a Russian withdrawal … What we see is that they have increased the number of troops, and more troops are on the way,” Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Wednesday at the start of a two-day meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels, Aljazeera reports.

His remarks came as Russia said more of the estimated 100,000 plus soldiers it has deployed near Ukraine in recent months were withdrawing after Moscow initially announced a partial pullback a day earlier.

Meanwhile, Ukrainians were marking “a day of unity” called for by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid claims from the United States that Russia may be readying to invade imminently.