WASHINGTON (AP) — A Pentagon spokesman says if Russian troops were really pulling back from the border with Ukraine, then “we would know.” And he says that doesn’t seem to be happening.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told diplomats today that his troops have been moved away from the border region. Putin today also called on Ukraine’s military to stop its operations against pro-Russia activists who have seized government buildings and police stations in at least a dozen towns in eastern Ukraine. And he called for Sunday’s referendum on autonomy in eastern Ukraine to be postponed.

NATO also says it has seen no evidence of a Russian pullback.

Russia has had about 40,000 troops positioned on Ukraine’s border for several weeks. The U.S. says those forces are there to stir up instability in Ukraine, not for regular training exercises.

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171-v-35-(Mark Smith, AP White House correspondent)–The White House is casting doubt on Vladimir Putin’s announcement that Russian troops have pulled back from Ukraine’s border. AP White House Correspondent Mark Smith reports. (7 May 2014)

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155-a-05-(Colonel Steve Warren, Pentagon spokesman, with reporters)-“the Ukrainian border”-Colonel Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, says there’s no indication Russian troops have been pulled back from the Ukraine border. (7 May 2014)

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APPHOTO XMB115: Armored vehicles are parked at a Ukrainian army checkpoint on the main road between Kramatorsk and Slovyansk, 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) south of Slovyansk, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 7, 2014. Russia has pulled back its troops from the Ukrainian border, Russian president Vladimir Putin told diplomats Wednesday as he urged insurgents in southeastern Ukraine to postpone their planned referendum Sunday on autonomy. But the U.S. military said it had seen no sign of a Russian troop pullback. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo) (7 May 2014)

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