Russian troops taking part in military exercises near the Ukrainian border were ordered back to their bases Tuesday -- but thousands of others remain in control of much of Crimea.
Russian state media said Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the troops' return after six days of snap exercises at Ukraine's doorstep. The move came the same day that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is due in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, to discuss aid to the financially-strapped country.
The decision was hardly a move to deescalate tension in the autonomous region in southeastern Ukraine. Russia had said the exercises, which began Wednesday, were always meant to end March 3.
Sergey Astahov, assistant to the head of the Ukraine Security Border Service told CNN that Russian troops and vehicles still remain near Ukraine's eastern border with Russia.
On Tuesday, a team from the International Monetary Fund is also expected in Kiev to begin a fact-finding mission that will look at possible financial help and necessary reforms.
The Ukrainian Parliament ratified an agreement Tuesday to receive loans from the European Union worth 610 euros, the equivalent of nearly $839 million. The parliament is based in Kiev, where many emphasize ties to the West, as opposed to people in eastern Ukraine, where loyalty to Russia runs deep.
U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday that the United States is examining a series of economic and diplomatic steps to "isolate Russia," and he called on Congress to work with his administration on an economic assistance package for Ukraine.
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