Russia partially withdraws troops at Ukrainian borders

President Vladimir Putin stated in a recent conference that his country is ready for talks, aiming “to work further” with the powers in the West in order to lower tensions related to the Ukrainian conflict. However Putin underlined that Russian demands must be considered by the West.

The Russian President and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz talked about the conflict’s potential outcome on Tuesday, in Moscow. According to Scholz, avoiding war is still possible, as “diplomatic options are far from exhausted”.

In the meantime, the returning of some of the military troops from the Ukrainian borders to their bases was seen as a de-escalation moment in the current conflict, as also stated by Russia’s defence ministry.

William B. Taylor, former US ambassador to Ukraine, backs this claim and stresses that the military drawback could make room for diplomatic negotiations in Eastern Europe.

“When we actually see units and tanks and artillery and missiles that are moving away from Ukraine’s border – rather than toward it as they have been for the past two months – when we see these military forces going back to their barracks, back to their home stations, that will be a very good indicator that there can be serious negotiations,” the former ambassador declared for Al Jazeera.

On the other hand, US President Joe Biden considers that despite the move, Russian troops are still in a “threatening position” for Ukraine.

 

source: aljazeera.com