Even though Russia announced the end of military drills in Crimea and ordered the withdrawal of some troops from the Ukraine border on Tuesday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy remains skeptical about Moscow’s claims.

Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday during a visit to western Ukraine, Zelenskiy said, “To be honest, we react to the reality we have, and we don’t see any withdrawal yet, we’ve just heard about it.”

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“I think all normal people expect de-escalation. As for the threat, I have said many times that we are calm about any threats because we remember that all this did not start yesterday. This has been happening for many years,” the 44-year-old further said.

“When the troops do withdraw everyone will see that.. but for now, it’s just a statement,” the Ukrainian President concluded.

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Zelenskiy’s comments about the supposed Russia withdrawal comes hours after NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed his doubts about Moscow’s claims and its intentions.

Speaking on Tuesday ahead of a NATO meeting in Brussels, Stoltenberg said that he had seen no sign of troop withdrawal, and urged Russia to prove its will to de-escalate through actions.

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“At the moment, we have not seen any withdrawal of Russian forces. If they really start to withdraw forces, that’s something we will welcome but that remains to be seen,” the NATO Secretary-General had said.

While Russia’s claims of a troop withdrawal has been met with cautious enthusiasm by the US, NATO, and Western nations at large, many still remain skeptical about Moscow’s true intentions.

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Over the past several weeks, Russia had amassed more than 100,000 troops along Ukraine’s borders, with some reports putting the number at 150,000. The troop build-up sparked fears about an imminent invasion, but Russia has consistently maintained that it is merely seeking security guarantees from the US and its NATO allies, and has no intentions of invading its neighbour.