NATO Says There Are Still 1,000 Russian Troops in Ukraine

Russia still has around 1,000 troops in eastern Ukraine, a NATO military officer said on Thursday, casting doubt on reports of a reduction in Russian forces there.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Wednesday he had information that 70 percent of Russian troops who had been in Ukraine had been moved back across the border, according to Reuters.

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"The reported reduction of Russian troops from eastern Ukraine would be a good first step, but we have no information on this. The fact of the matter is there are still approximately 1,000 Russian troops in eastern Ukraine with substantial amounts of military equipment and approximately 20,000 troops on the Russian border with Ukraine," the NATO military officer said.

NATO believes that these numbers amount to a large and effective military force, the officer said. In addition to the troop numbers, NATO continues to see sophisticated Russian military equipment in Ukraine, CNN reports.

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NATO remains concerned and urges Russia to engage with the international community and Ukraine to find a political solution to the crisis, the officer said.