Britain responded with caution to Russia’s announcement that it was pulling back troops from the Ukrainian border.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the troops have returned to their training grounds and other locations for “regular exercises”, but the Defence Ministry in Moscow would not confirm whether their new positions were near Ukraine.
Mr Putin also urged Ukraine’s military to halt all operations against pro-Russian activists who have seized official buildings in towns across eastern Ukraine and called on the separatists to postpone a referendum on autonomy planned for May 11.
Responding to reports of Mr Putin’s comments, Prime Minister David Cameron’s official spokesman said: “The test of this is what happens on the ground.”
The development came as Foreign Secretary William Hague met candidates in Ukraine’s May 25 presidential elections, as well as OSCE peacekeepers, during a visit to the capital Kiev.
Mr Hague accused the Kremlin of orchestrating “conflict and provocations” in the east and south of the country and mounting an “enormous propaganda effort” in the hope of disrupting the elections. It was clear that insurgents manning road-blocks and occupying buildings in parts of eastern Ukraine came from Russia, he said.
The Foreign Secretary told a press conference in Kiev: “It is clear that the leading elements of these forces – it is clear to us from their training, their equipment, their identical behaviour to infiltrators in Crimea – are not simply pro-Russian forces. Parts of them have been Russian forces.
“They have added to their strength with other recruits and there are widespread and credible reports that many of these are actually hired thugs of one kind or another.
“They are not representative of local people. There should be no doubt that the Russian government is trying to orchestrate conflict and provocations in the east and south of Ukraine and that the immediate goal is the disruption of elections on May 25.”
The Ukrainian people should “demonstrate their rejection of forces that are threatening to tear this country apart”, said Mr Hague. He called on all Ukrainians to participate in the May 25 elections to find a replacement for ousted pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych.