Russia bolstered its military force by around 7,000 troops along the Ukraine border despite Moscow's claims of withdrawal, according to the United States.
A top official of the Biden administration said that the increased military presence indicates that Russia's claim of military pullback is "false" and accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of fake diplomacy in his claims of de-escalation while rallying Russian troops for war.
According to the new estimates, the number of Russian forces is larger than the 150,000 figure US President Joe Biden mentioned in a televised message.
Western leaders had already expressed skepticism about Russia's claims of withdrawal.
NATO said on Wednesday that it holds evidence proving Russia's failure to pull out its armies from Ukraine per Reuters.
During a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the coalition has satellite images which are "actually confirmed also with open sources, with satellite imagery" captured by commercial satellites.
US President Joe Biden said in a speech on Tuesday that he had yet to see any proof that Russia is withdrawing its troops, and if he gets confirmation, it would be "good."
Biden said that according to analysts, Russian troops "remain very much in a threatening position," with its current force of more than 150,000 troops surrounding Ukraine's border.
Russia's Actions Speak Louder
Per a CNN report, a senior US diplomat cautioned that Russia might attack under a false pretext, such as claiming NATO operations or an incursion into Russian territory or alleging atrocities were taking place in the eastern Donbas region has been under Russian-backed separatist control since 2014.
According to Stoltenberg, NATO has yet to see any hint of de-escalation on the ground," but indications from Moscow "that diplomacy should continue" are cause for cautious optimism.
In a media conference, Ukrainian Foreign Ministery Dmytro Kuleba said that, when it comes to Russia's pronouncements, he prefers to "see and then believe" instead of "hear and then believe."
While US Secretary of State Antony Blinken commented in an interview that Russia's words are different from its actions.
South Korea closely monitors the ongoing crisis between Russia and Ukraine to determine the possible impact on energy prices and supply chains.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict May Affect Economies
Meanwhile, in an interview with CNBC, South Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-Koo said the government monitors the prices as 92% of South Korea is fulfilled by energy imports.
He said that some of the supply chains in the manufacturing sector could face "potential geopolitical risks" if tensions further escalate.
The official also assured that the government is conducting all "policy measures to meet this potential risk." According to the trade minister, the South Korean government is already taking steps to reduce supply chain risk.
According to Yeo, the government attempts to determine which crucial raw resources are at risk.Automobiles, chips, and other gadgets are South Korea's most important exports.
South Korea is attempting to formulate an "early warning system" that determines risks on the level of supply of the materials so the government can address it in advance.
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