NEW: Russia says some of its troops gathered near Ukraine are returning to their bases, but Kyiv says it is too early to tell whether this signals any de-escalation in a crisis that the West warns could see Moscow invade its neighbor any day.
The Russian defense ministry said some units of its southern and western military districts were pulling back after completing their exercises near Ukraine.
Russia has positioned some 130,000 troops around Ukraine on three sides but has consistently denied it is planning an invasion. "We'll believe it when we see it," the country's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said at a news conference."If we see the withdrawal, we believe in de-escalation.” Nevertheless, Washington has sounded continued alarm that an invasion could come at any time, as satellite images showed that the build-up of Russian forces had intensified in recent days.
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