Russia has repeatedly made statements about the pullback of its troops from the border with Ukraine, but it has relocated only some of its forces, which has not eased tensions in the region, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price has said.

He said this at a briefing on Tuesday, May 11, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

“Even as we have seen reports of Russian withdrawal and we’ve been able to confirm that some Russian forces have been relocated, tensions remain high because Russia does maintain a large number of forces along the border,” Price said.

He stressed that the number of forces that Moscow continues to maintain in the region has not been matched since the 2014 invasion.

“And so it is still a cause for concern,” Price said.

He noted that the U.S. side was actively raising this issue in talks with allies and partners. This issue was discussed at meetings in NATO and at the level of G7 ministers, as well as during the recent visit of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Kyiv, Price said.

In this regard, he reiterated that the United States stands with Kyiv in the face of Russian aggression and will continue to do so in the future.

Russia earlier announced the withdrawal of its troops from Ukraine’s borders under the pretext of the “successful completion of exercises,” but at the same time, it maintains its military presence around Ukraine’s borders and in the temporarily occupied territories of the Donbas and Crimea.

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