US, West Wary of Russian Claims That Military Buildup Near Ukraine Is Over

PENTAGON - Claims that Russian troops are beginning to pull back from positions in Crimea and along the Russian border with Ukraine are being met with caution in the West, where officials are demanding that Moscow be more transparent and refrain from additional saber-rattling.

Western officials said Friday that they were watching the situation "very, very closely" but cautioned against taking Russian assurances "at face value." "We've seen the Russian comments about how they're ending the exercises," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters during a briefing Friday. "It's too soon to tell with any specificity." "[We] continue to call on Russia to cease their provocations, to respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine and to not contribute to activities that only make the stability along the border with Ukraine and in occupied Crimea less stable than it already is," he said.