US Hasn’t Verified Russian Pullback of Troops Near Ukraine

VLADIMIR REGION, RUSSIA JANUARY 18, 2022: Soldiers of assault engineer and recovery-and-salvage units of the Russian Army 1st Guards Engineer Brigade are seen during tactical and special training in the city of Murom, some 260 km east of Moscow. The goal of the training is to further develop practical combat skills. Vadim Savitsky/TASS (Photo by Vadim SavitskyTASS via Getty Images)

MOSCOW (AP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin says that he welcomes a security dialogue with the West as his military reported pulling back some of its troops near Ukraine. But U.S. President Joe Biden said the U.S. had not verified Russia’s claim and that an invasion is still a distinct possibility. Putin said Tuesday that he does not want war and would rely on negotiations as he presses his demand for the West to halt Ukraine’s bid to join NATO. At the same time, he did not commit to a full pullback of troops, saying Russia’s next moves in the standoff will depend on how the situation evolves.