This announcement was made by Defense Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu who visited the Crimean peninsula for “a surprise combat readiness check”. At the same time, the Russian minister ordered his troops to be ready for any adverse development that may arise in connection with the ongoing NATO exercise “Defender- Europe 21”.
Commenting on the withdrawal of the Russian troops, President Zelenskyy noted that the decision of the Russian leadership “decreases tensions proportionally”. “Ukraine is always on the alert. However, we welcome any steps aimed at reducing military presence and promoting the de-escalation of the situation in the Donbas. Ukraine wants peace”, Zelenskyy said and thanked Western partners for their support.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed Putin to meet and discuss the conflict in eastern Ukraine right in the Donbas warzone. In response to his proposal, the Russian President answered that he is ready to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart but only in Moscow and only to discuss bilateral relations. “If it is the question of the Donbas’ problems then the leadership of Ukraine should meet the leaders of the DNR and LNR. And only then they can discuss these problems with representatives of the third parties one of which is Russia”, said Putin.
Meanwhile, NATO states that Russia’s decision to pull back its troops from Ukraine’s border is important and overdue. “Russia’s announcement on Thursday that it was ordering troops back to base from the area near the border with Ukraine is important and timely”, a NATO official told Reuters, adding that the Western military alliance would remain vigilant. The Alliance official went on to say, “Any steps towards de-escalation by Russia would be important and well overdue. NATO remains vigilant and we will continue to closely monitor Russia’s unjustified military build-up in and around Ukraine”.
The United States will continue monitoring the situation around the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine’s borders.
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said at a press briefing on April 22, “We have heard Russia’s announcement ‒ its announcement that it would begin withdrawing troops from the border of Ukraine. As I’ve said, we’ve heard words. I think what we’ll be looking for is action.
“We have made clear in our engagement with the Russian Government that it needs to refrain from escalatory actions and immediately cease all its aggressive activity in and around Ukraine, including its recent military build-up in occupied Crimea and on Ukraine’s border”.
According to William Taylor, the ex-ambassador of the United States to Ukraine, Putin’s aggressiveness has been lowered by recent American sanctions against Russia and Joe Biden’s telephone call to the Kremlin’s leader with a proposal to meet in the nearest future.
Here’s the opinion of the first Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk. He says that it is hard to assume what plans Russia may have today. “Speaking about its intentions in general, they are definitely aggressive in relation to Ukraine. Russia, its officials and Putin have repeatedly stated that Ukraine is a hopeless state without any future. We have reliable information that they would like to strip Ukraine of its independence and sovereignty. However, no one can say exactly when it may happen, maybe tomorrow or the day after tomorrow”, he said.
Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the former commander of U.S. Army in Europe, is of the same opinion. The general says that the concentration of Russian troops near the border with Ukraine is more than just a military exercise, and that the escalation of the conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine in the Donbas is inevitable. In his view, the main goal the Kremlin seeks to achieve is to block Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine. The Russian Federation tries to destabilize Ukraine which will make it impossible for Kyiv to join the European Union and NATO.
Ukrainian analyst Oleksandr Hara believes that nowadays it is better to be a moderate pessimist. After all, the end of the exercises does not mean the end of the war and the return of the occupied territories, the more so.
Les Podervyansky, a Ukrainian painter and playwright, says, “Russia has begun to withdraw its troops from the border with Ukraine and from the occupied Crimea. It is good news. But I am just curious how it will be done. We should not feel relaxed because any agreement with the Kremlin is not worth the paper it has been written on. Of course, it’s good that tension has eased. It is bad that not for ever”.
The newspaper Voice of Ukraine
