Russia is boosting its troop presence near the Ukrainian border, prompting NATO to call for dialogue.

• A day after Moscow announced it was withdrawing some of its military units from the Ukrainian border, NATO accused Russia of increasing its troop count in the region.
• At the border, Russia is continuing their military buildup, according to NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, who stated this on Wednesday.
• Boris Johnson, the U.K. Prime Minister, stated on Wednesday that the Kremlin is sending ambiguous messages to the West.

On Wednesday, NATO accused Russia of increasing the number of troops it has amassed at the Ukrainian border, despite Moscow's claim the previous day that it had begun withdrawing some of its military units.

Russian military units have begun moving after completing drills near the border, according to a spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense. However, Western leaders have not yet seen evidence of such a move.

On Wednesday, the Russian government released footage of military units returning to their permanent deployments after exercises. However, CNBC has not been able to verify the authenticity of the footage.

Russian officials have stated that troops participating in military exercises in Belarus, near Ukraine, will return to their permanent bases on February 20. Nevertheless, Western leaders have expressed skepticism about Russia's assertions.

Russia ‘continues military buildup’

On Wednesday, NATO defense ministers will gather in Brussels to discuss the "most serious security crisis" the alliance has faced in Europe in decades.

During a press conference prior to the meeting on Wednesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that it is uncertain whether Russia will withdraw.

"Despite our hopes, there has been no de-escalation on the ground. In fact, Russia seems to be increasing their military presence," he stated.

Stoltenberg stated that Russia's history of moving forces back and forth means that footage of force and tank movement does not necessarily indicate a genuine withdrawal.

Stoltenberg has said NATO allies “remain ready to engage with Russia.”

According to Reuters, the Kremlin stated on Wednesday that NATO was incorrect in asserting that there is no evidence of Russian withdrawal from the border. President Putin expressed a desire to engage in diplomatic negotiations, the report added.

On Wednesday, Moscow announced that Russian troops were returning to their permanent deployments, as reported by Russian state media, which stated that tanks, armored vehicles, and soldiers were traveling a 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) distance back to their bases.

‘Mixed signals’

Boris Johnson, the U.K. Prime Minister, stated on Sky News on Wednesday that despite some positive signs from Russia, the current intelligence is not encouraging.

Russian field hospitals are being constructed near the border with Ukraine in Belarus, indicating possible preparation for an invasion, according to him. However, he added that the situation is still unclear and there are mixed signals.

On Tuesday, Johnson announced that the British government would impose a strict sanctions package on Russian banks and companies if Russia invaded Ukraine. This would involve banning Russian companies from accessing London's financial markets.

If Britain imposes sanctions, Moscow will retaliate, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated in response to Johnson's sanctions threat on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

U.S. President Joe Biden issued a warning that Washington had not yet confirmed Russia's withdrawal of military units from the Ukrainian border before Johnson made his comments.

Our analysts suggest that Russian military units are still in a threatening position, as we have not yet confirmed their return to their home bases, the president stated in a White House speech.

Despite the fact that Russia has more than 150,000 troops encircling Ukraine in Belarus and along Ukraine's border, the situation remains unchanged.

Biden stated that an invasion by Moscow is still a possibility and that any use of force would result in immense human suffering.

He urged Russia to choose a diplomatic path toward resolving the issue.

An anonymous senior Western intelligence official stated that the risk of Russian aggression would persist throughout the month, according to Reuters on Wednesday.

No credible signs indicate a military de-escalation, and Moscow could launch an attack on Ukraine with little-to-no warning, according to the news agency.

U.S. ‘hyped up the threat of war,’ China says

Last week, thousands of Russian troops commenced military exercises, which were viewed as a show of strength by Moscow. This move was preceded by the transfer of more than 100,000 soldiers, tanks, missiles, and blood supplies to Russia's border with Ukraine.

Despite warnings from Western countries that an invasion of Ukraine is imminent, Moscow has consistently stated that it has no plans to invade Ukraine.

Since 2002, Ukraine has sought membership in NATO, the world's most powerful military alliance. However, Russia has made it clear that it does not want Ukraine to become a member and has called for NATO to withdraw its presence from Eastern Europe. The group's Article 5 clause states that an attack on one member country is considered an attack on all of them.

Russia's request for accommodation cannot be granted by the U.S. and NATO.

The United States and the West have been accused by China of causing "turbulence and uncertainty" by exaggerating the threat Russia poses to Ukraine.

The U.S.'s recent hype of war has severely impacted Ukraine's domestic economic and social stability and people's lives, and has also added resistance to the promotion of dialogue and negotiation, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.

On Wednesday, Ursula von der Leyen, the EU Commission President, appealed to Russian leader Vladimir Putin to refrain from causing any more violence in Europe.

Yesterday, Russia gave conflicting signals as authorities announced Russian troop pullbacks while the Duma voted for full recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics.

The issue at Ukraine's border is a long-term problem.

In 2014, Moscow annexed Crimea, a southern Ukrainian peninsula, and since then, approximately 13,000 people have died in the ongoing conflict between government forces and pro-Russian separatists in the eastern region of Donbas.

On Tuesday, Russian lawmakers voted to request Putin to acknowledge Donetsk and Luhansk, two Moscow-supported separatist regions, as sovereign states.