NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russian announcements about pulling troops away from the Ukrainian border were “grounds for cautious optimism but so far we have not seen any sign of de-escalation on the ground.” The alliance has “not seen any signs of reduced Russian military presence on the borders of Ukraine. But we will continue to monitor and to follow closely what Russia is doing,” Stoltenberg told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels. NATO would have to see a “significant and enduring withdrawal” of both troops and heavy equipment to count this as a serious de-escalati…