Your Evening Briefing: U.S. Rejects Russian Statements Claiming Pullback
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Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, left, Florence Parly, France’s defense minister, center, and Lloyd Austin, U.S. secretary of defense, gather during the NATO Defense Summit at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels on Feb. 16. Stoltenberg said there’s no proof of Russia’s claims of de-escalation, and that it appears the Kremlin is continuing its military buildup on Ukraine’s borders.
Photographer: Valeria Mongelli/BloombergThe U.S. contradicted Kremlin statements that it pulled back some of the 150,000 Russian troops and heavy arms placed around Ukraine. NATO and an independent analyst group reportedly said Vladimir Putin may actually be increasing forces there, as western allies warn he could attack his neighbor at any time. “There’s what Russia says and what Russia does, and we haven’t seen any pullback of its forces,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday. Russia, which already occupies Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, has denied any plans to attack and rejected the comments about its troop movement claims. In the meantime, U.S. officials said Russian fighter jets came dangerously close to American aircraft over the Mediterranean and Ukraine said it was the victim of a massive cyberattack on government and military networks, which it attributed to a “country.” NATO officials said this “new normal” has prompted consideration of building up forces in central and southeastern Europe. As for the president of Ukraine, whose nation is the focus of the geopolitical crisis? He’s going after oligarchs.
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