Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called for a delay in Sunday's referendum on autonomy in southeastern Ukraine and said Russia has withdrawn troops from the Ukraine border.
"We have been told that our troops on the Ukrainian border are a concern — we have withdrawn them," Putin said after meeting in Moscow with Swiss President Didier Burkhalter. "They are not now on Ukrainian territory, but at locations where they conduct regular drills at ranges."
TV Rain, an independent Russian TV channel, tweeted photographs of Russian troops pulling back from the border.
NATO estimates that Russia had stationed about 40,000 troops on its border with Ukraine. On Wednesday, a NATO military official told Reuters there was "no indication of a change" in the position of military forces there.
Asked whether Russia could be withdrawing troops without the Pentagon detecting it, spokesman Col. Steve Warren told reporters: "We would know."
At the same time, he called on Ukraine's military to halt operations against pro-Russia activists who have seized government buildings and police stations in eastern Ukraine.
"This method of settling the internal political conflict is not a reliable way of resolving all political disputes," he said. "On the contrary, they deepen the divisions."
Putin said a delay in the May 11 referendum was needed "to create proper conditions for this dialogue," the Russian ITAR-Tass news agency reports.
A similar referendum in March over the disputed Ukrainian region of Crimea led to the annexation of the area by Russia.
In response to Putin's remarks, pro-Russian activist Denis Pushilin, one of the leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, said the "people's council" would discuss the possibility of a postponement on Thursday, RT.com reports.
"We respect Putin's position," Pushilin said. "He is a balanced politician. So we will submit this proposal tomorrow to the people's council. "
The United States and the European Union have charged that the armed pro-Russian activists are being directed by Russian troops.
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