NATO urged Russia to keep its word this time and withdraw troops along Ukraine 's eastern border , saying it has seen no signs of soldiers returning to their bases . President Vladimir Putin ordered tens of thousands of troops near the Ukraine border to return to their bases , his spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday . The withdrawal has started , he said , and could take some time to finish . But despite Moscow 's assertion , there were no signs of the troops ' withdrawal , NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said hours later . The Obama administration was skeptical about Putin 's order , while Kiev said it 's monitoring the area to ensure troops are returning to their permanent bases . `` As you know , we have heard that promise before and have yet to see any indication that it 's been fulfilled , '' said Jay Carney , the White House spokesman . Rasmussen reiterated the need for the withdrawal and said he would `` be the first '' to welcome it . `` I think it 's the third Putin statement on withdrawal of Russian troops ... but so far we have n't seen any withdrawal at all , '' he said . `` Withdrawal of Russian troops will be the first step to de-escalating the situation . '' Ukraine 's presidential election scheduled for Sunday is crucial , Rasmussen said , and Russia and Ukrainian separatists should practice restraint to ensure it goes on as planned . `` We urge the armed pro-Russian separatist groups to stop their illegal activities . ... Russia should stop their support for these armed groups , '' he said . `` Russia should demonstrate a clear will to let the presidential election to go forward . The presidential election constitutes the best chance to find a sustainable solution to the crisis in Ukraine . '' Russia 's 'significant forces ' Putin 's decision to amass 40,000 troops along Ukraine 's eastern border triggered fears of an invasion ahead of the election . Moscow defended the troop buildup , saying it was a routine exercise that has since ended . Two weeks ago , Putin said Russian troops had pulled away from Ukraine 's border and were merely conducting `` regular exercises at the test grounds . '' At that time , NATO and Western officials said they saw no sign of widespread troop withdrawals . But a senior U.S. administration official disputed Russia 's assertion that they were routine exercises . `` The fact is that Russia has been maintaining significant forces in forward deployment areas along Ukraine 's border , '' the official said . `` They have not been conducting routine training activities . They 've been up on the border in a menacing posture , and we 've been concerned about this military buildup and have been consistently calling on Russia to remove its troops back to their home bases and end this threatening behavior . '' The official said the White House is monitoring the issue for evidence of withdrawal . `` As you 'll recall , they 've made similar claims before . They made them at the end of March and did n't follow through , so we 'll be tracking this closely over the course of today and the coming days , and we 'll want to see clear , firm evidence of this move before we make any judgment , '' the official said Monday . The United States , which along with other Western countries has sanctioned Russia for its disputed takeover of Crimea , has threatened additional punishment for Russia if it fails to pull its troops back from the border . Tensions in the east . Russian officials have said they reserve the right to protect the interests of Russian citizens and Russian-language speakers in Ukraine 's east , which traditionally leans toward Moscow . Tensions in that region remain high , with ongoing reports of violence and growing human rights abuses . Anti-terrorism operations that started in April in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions have killed 24 Ukrainian servicemen so far , said Valentyn Nalyvaichenko , head of the Ukrainian Security Service . He did not provide any more details . In one of the latest incidents , Russian separatists clashed with Ukrainian border guards Saturday after a separatist leader was detained at a checkpoint . Valeriy Bolotov , the self-declared governor of a `` people 's republic '' in Luhansk , was detained by security forces in Dovzhanskiy . Attackers freed him after a firefight , but he was wounded and went to Russia for medical treatment , separatist spokesman Vasiliy Nikitin said . Over the weekend , the Russian Foreign Ministry accused Ukrainian troops of attacking Ukrainian citizens and questioned whether Sunday 's scheduled elections could be held amid the chaos . `` Such punitive action against its own citizens shows the hypocrisy of the Kiev authorities , '' a ministry statement said , referring to an international pact agreed to last month that called for an end to violence . Ukraine favors Europe over Russia , new CNN poll finds . Ukraine : Armed men free detained pro-Russian leader after checkpoint attack . Opinion : Putin 's empire building is not a new Cold War .
Obama administration skeptical about Putin 's order . NATO says withdrawal would be `` first step to de-escalating the situation '' Russia has said troops were conducting a routine exercise that has ended . Comment: