President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that it will be hard for Russia to build relations with Ukrainian leaders who come to power at a time of growing tension.
Putin's remark to reporters during a visit to China appeared to be aimed at casting doubt on the legitimacy of a presidential election that is to be held on Sunday in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, US Army Secretary John McHugh said the United States has spotted some Russian troop movements near the Ukraine border but no sign of a large-scale withdrawal.
"What we know thus far is that there has been certain troop movements, but I have received no confirmation, either through Pentagon sources or NATO sources, that there has been a wholesale repositioning of those troops off the border," McHugh told a news conference during a visit to Estonia.
In turn, NATO Secretary-general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that NATO has still seen no "visible evidence" of a Russian troop withdrawal from the border with Ukraine.
"I wake up every morning hoping to see a real and meaningful withdrawal of Russian troops, but I have to tell you that so far we have not seen any visible evidence of a withdrawal of Russian troops," Rasmussen told a news conference in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo.
In the same regard, the state-run news agency RIA cited the Defense Ministry as saying that Russian troops that took part in military exercises in three provinces bordering Ukraine have packed up and are preparing to return to their permanent bases.
The Kremlin said on Monday that Putin had told his defense chief to order troops back to their bases after drills in the Rostov, Belgorod and Bryansk regions, but NATO and the United States have said they saw no signs of a withdrawal.
A ministry statement said the units in question had spent 24 hours dismantling field camps, packing and preparing military vehicles and were now "moving toward train stations and airfields," RIA reported.
Biden
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden warned Moscow on Wednesday that undermining the May 25 election in Ukraine would bring greater costs for Russia.
"We have agreed that if Russia undermines these elections on Sunday we must remain resolute in imposing greater costs on Russia and we must be equally resolute to invest in the NATO alliance," Biden told reporters after meeting Romanian President Traian Basescu.
Biden arrived in Bucharest on Tuesday as part of Washington's campaign to reassure east European allies of U.S. backing in the West's confrontation with Russia over Ukraine.
Gazprom
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a letter on Wednesday that it is up to Gazprom to ensure gas is supplied to Europe in contracted volumes, the European Commission said.
Russia has said state-controlled exporter Gazprom will not supply transit nation Ukraine with gas for its own use in June if Kiev fails to pay in advance and has warned a cut-off could affect supplies to European consumer nations via Ukraine.
REUTERS