Russia Claims It's Pulling Some Troops from Ukraine Border, NATO Says No Evidence Yet

LVIV, Ukraine - There's some potentially positive news today in the crisis over Ukraine, although the evidence has yet to materialize. 

The Russian government announced it's pulling back some of its troops from the border with Ukraine. Still, NATO reports there's no clear evidence of de-escalation just yet.

"There are signs from Moscow that diplomacy should continue. This gives grounds for cautious optimism. But so far we have not seen any sign of de-escalation on the ground from the Russian side," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters.

The U.S. said Monday it's temporarily moving the operations of its embassy out of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Diplomatic efforts are also still underway to ease up the tensions.

CBN News reports from Ukraine that Russia's Ministry of Defense says large-scale military exercises are continuing across the area, but troops that have been deployed to the southern and western districts are beginning to move back. 
 
The Russian regime has released a video reportedly showing armored tanks and other equipment being loaded onto trains. The reports of a military withdrawal come as the U.S. continues to insist that Russia is on the verge of launching a full-scale invasion. 

White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, "The path for diplomacy remains available if Russia chooses to engage constructively. However, we are clear-eyed about the prospects of that, given the steps Russia is taking on the ground in plain sight."

The high-stakes diplomatic effort to calm tensions continues. Germany's chancellor, who was just here in Ukraine on Monday, is headed to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin. 

Meanwhile, residents here in Lviv, Ukraine's largest city in the western part of the country, are getting an unexpected holiday tomorrow. Ukraine's president has declared February 16th, cited as a possible Invasion Day, to be Unity Day, and he's urging his countrymen to get out of the blue and yellow flag and to fly it proudly.

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