NATO chief sees no retreat by Russian forces near Ukraines border

STUTTGART, Germany NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen rejected Russias claim on Monday that it was pulling massed troops back from the border with Ukraine, where unrest and Moscows annexation of the Crimean Peninsula have refocused the 28-nation NATO alliance on security in its own backyard.

NATO has dismissed previous claims by Russian President Vladimir Putin about the withdrawal of troops from Ukrainian border, in some cases offering satellite imagery to challenge his assertions.

I think it is the third Putin statement on withdrawal typo of Russian troops, but so far we havent seen any withdrawal of troops at all, Rasmussen said during a Monday news conference in Brussels.

Now, NATO must focus on a re-emerging Russian threat, Rasmussen said.

Western governments have accused Russia of massing 40,000 troops near the Ukrainian border in an effort to intimidate the new regime in Kiev.

We have seen the Russian military doctrine that NATO is considered an adversary, Rasmussen sad. And I think we should take that seriously, its not just words. So we have to adapt accordingly to review our defense plans, enhance our exercises and also consider appropriate deployments.

As the May 25 Ukrainian presidential election nears, Rasmussen called on Russia to de-escalate tensions in Ukraine, where a Russian separatist movement broke out after the February ouster of pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych. Moscow and Western countries have traded charges that other side has interfered in Ukraines internal affairs.

For NATO, Russias annexation of Crimea has focused attention on bolstering the alliances security presence in eastern Europe and the Baltics. This includes such measures as more fighter jet rotations through the Baltics, more war ships in regional waters and assorted war games with ground troops.

However, Rasmussen also warned of more potential instability in other parts of eastern Europe, including Moldova and Georgia, two countries that are seeking closer ties with the European Union.

We have seen Russia put a lot of pressure on countries in their near neighborhood as they are approaching the European Union for progress, Rasmussen said.

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NATO chief sees no retreat by Russian forces near Ukraines border