President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged Russia to choose diplomacy with the U.S. and its allies over the standoff with Ukraine, but said Washington and its partners “will not hesitate to respond” if Moscow invades its neighbor.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said negotiations are still possible in the standoff over Ukraine and his Defense Ministry said it was pulling back some troops from near the border, The Wall Street Journal reported. But Western leaders were uncertain about how to read the Kremlin’s messages since other Russian military activities were continuing, the Journal noted.
Speaking at the White House, Biden said that the U.S. had not verified that Russian units had returned home. An invasion remains “distinctly possible,” the president said.
U.S. stocks SPX, +1.58%, meanwhile, traded higher, bond yields TMUBMUSD10Y, 2.052% rose, and oil prices CLH22, -3.67% slumped Tuesday on signs of an easing of tensions over Ukraine.
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