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NATO Defense Ministers Gather in Brussels, Dispute Russia’s Claims of Troop Drawback

HeadlineFeb 17, 2022

The Biden administration says Russia has added 7,000 more troops to its forces surrounding Ukraine — contradicting Moscow’s claims of a partial withdrawal from Ukraine’s border. The competing claims came as defense ministers from all 30 NATO member nations met in Brussels for a second straight day of talks on tensions over Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia is continuing to build up its forces in preparation for a possible invasion. In Moscow, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson shrugged off those claims.

Maria Zakharova: “All those statements by Stoltenberg — who is either the NATO secretary general or a banker, I have not figured it out yet — we are no longer interested in them. He is not a person whose words will be taken seriously in Moscow.”

This month Stoltenberg was named as the incoming governor of Norway’s central bank. Despite the war of words between Moscow and Washington and its NATO allies, Russian officials say they remain open to diplomacy and continue to dismiss claims that an invasion is imminent.

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