Russia signaled on Monday it was pulling some troops away from its border with Ukraine, a move that met with skepticism in the West but could represent the Kremlin’s first notable concession after weeks of frantic diplomacy by the U.S. and Europe. It remained unclear just how many troops Russia was withdrawing. The German government said President told Chancellor Angela Merkel by phone that he had “ordered a partial withdrawal” of military forces massing along Ukraine’s eastern border. Russia’s Defense Ministry said an infantry battalion—a relatively small number of troops—had been ordered to return from a position near Ukraine to their base some 800 miles to the east. Ukrainian officials said as many as 20,000 Russian troops had apparently been moved back from the border in recent days, but that some 40,000 remained. U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said he couldn’t confirm whether Russian forces were pulling troops back. […]