Russia has continued to build up troops near the Ukrainian border in recent days, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at a press conference following a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.
"We don't see a withdrawal of forces. On the contrary, we see a build-up of forces, while they already have more than 150,000 concentrated, and - even in the last couple of days," Austin said.
"We're seeing some of those troops move even closer to the border," he added.
"I was a soldier myself not too long ago, and I know that this kind of action you're not going to take without cause ... So we along with our allies will remain vigilant," he said.
Austin added that the U.S. and NATO allies are monitoring the situation on the border between Russia and Ukraine, including - in his words - possible provocations from the Russian side.
