Britain and US warn Russia's troop withdrawal claims are false

Washington claims Moscow has stationed 7,000 more soldiers near the Ukrainian border

A satellite image shows a field hospital in a training area in Belarus. AFP

The US and UK have rejected as false Russia’s claims that it is pulling back troops from the border with Ukraine as the country's foreign minister said on Thursday that tank fire had been recorded on its eastern frontier.

"These shells came from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, which are controlled by Russia," Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said.

Speaking alongside Mr. Kuleba, Liz Truss, the UK Foreign Secretary, said Russia's military build-up shows no sign of slowing. "We need Russia to step back from the brink," she said. "They must take the path of diplomacy."

Ms Truss praised the “fortitude” of the Ukrainian people during her visit to the country, amid tension on its border with Russia. “I’m here today to show the United Kingdom’s steadfast support for Ukraine," she said.

Briefings by White House officials and British Cabinet ministers said a Russian military build-up had continued over the past 48 hours despite Moscow’s assertions that exercises were winding down.

The findings by western powers damage hopes that Russia could be pulling back from the brink of invading Ukraine, despite its statements this week that it was willing to pursue a diplomatic path.

A White House official gave a figure of 7,000 troops added to the Russian presence near Ukraine in the past few days, with some said to be arriving as recently as Wednesday.

“Every indication we have now is they mean only to publicly offer to talk and make claims about de-escalation while privately mobilising for war,” the official said.

Ukraine's president Voldoymyr Zelenskiy spoke with the EU's Charles Michel about shelling from the separatist Russian-backed regions that targeted the village of Stanytsia Luhanska, hitting a kindergarten.

Officials said the shelling on Thursday at the line of contact with Russian allied separatist forces went beyond the scale of ceasefire violations routinely reported throughout the conflict.

As Ukraine's potential membership of Nato hangs over the stand-off, Mr Zelenskiy said there were some members of the alliance who agreed with Russia that his country should not join.

He did not name these countries but it came in response to a question from German newspaper Bild about Chancellor Olaf Scholz's remarks that Ukrainian membership of Nato was some way off.

"There some Nato members who support Russia in this position," Mr Zelenskiy was quoted as saying. "It is open information, there are no secrets here."

James Heappey, the UK’s Armed Forces Minister, did not endorse the US figure of 7,000 new troops but said British intelligence suggested other preparations such as building bridges and field hospitals.

He told broadcasters that footage published by Russia’s Defence Ministry of tanks apparently leaving border regions and annexed Crimea were an example of Russian disinformation.

“Despite the message coming out of the Kremlin that troops were going to start moving away from the Ukrainian border, over the last 48 hours we have seen the opposite,” Mr Heappey said.

Nato defence ministers were holding a second day of talks on Thursday. AP

The statements from London and Washington go further than previous warnings by Nato allies that it was too early to verify Russia’s claims.

Both the US and UK said they would continue diplomatic engagement with Russia, which says it is willing to discuss some issues of concern such as missile control and oversight of military drills.

But it continues to press for a guarantee that Ukraine and other former Soviet republics will not join Nato, an idea rejected as a non-starter by the alliance.

Nato countries fear that Russia could use a pretext such as a false-flag attack on its forces or a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine to launch an invasion of its neighbour’s territory.

Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine claimed this week that government troops had opened fire on them, an allegation denied by Kiev. Russia has also amassed troops in Belarus, which borders Ukraine to the south, for military drills.

Mr Heappey said the number of Russian troops near the border, estimated at between 100,000 and 150,000, would not be enough to occupy all of Ukraine but would bog the countries down in a potentially years-long war and insurgency.

Another concern is that Russian President Vladimir Putin could keep the current suspense going for as long as possible.

It is possible that Mr Putin could leave a “noose around Ukraine’s neck” indefinitely with troops and equipment massed on the border, Mr Heappey said, although he said this would be expensive for the Kremlin.

Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia appeared to be open to diplomacy but that there was no sign of either withdrawal or de-escalation.

“Unfortunately, I am afraid this is the new normal which we need to be prepared for,” he said.