BALTIMORE, Maryland April 1, 2014 - Vladimir Putin, Russia's Strong Man Leader, told the German Chancellor Monday that he is pulling some troops back from Ukraine's eastern border, but the chief of NATO said he and his organization do not see it happening. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the NATO leader, said, simply "this is not what we're seeing on the ground." This exchange occurred even as the USA requested and received permission from Romanian leaders to send additional air power to a base in that Eastern European Nation which is now a member of NATO. Rasmussen and foreign ministers of the allinace's members met today for the first time since Russia invaded Crimea in early March. They are discussing the best ways to assist Ukraine and assure Ukraine's Baltic neighbors that they can stand strong against Russia with help from NATO and the EU. The NATO Countries also announced a bolstering of "air drills" to take place over the Baltic States. The United States has stated it will participate in these drills, and has already sent additional fighter jets to Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
According to the Web site World Bulletin, Rasmussen told the NATO group, "Through its actions, Russia has undermined the principles on which our partnership is built, and has breached its own international commitments. So we cannot go on doing business as usual."
Russian President Vladimir Putin told Germany's Angela Merkel in a phone call on Monday he had ordered a partial withdrawal of Russian troops from the eastern Ukrainian border, the German chancellor's spokesman said.
Moscow is believed to have massed some 30,000 heavily armed troops on the eastern Ukraine border, reinforced by tanks, fighter jets, attack helicopters, heavy artillery and intense logistical support. And Russia is making life in Ukraine more difficult. It's state-owned energy firm "Gasprom" announced today that the price it charges Ukraine for natural gas is going up.
Gazprom's chief executive Alexei Miller said the price of Russian gas for Ukraine had gone up to $385.5 (£231) per 1,000 cubic metres in the second quarter of 2014 from the previous rate of $268.5.
Miller added that Ukraine's unpaid gas bills to Russia stood at $1.7bn
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