"So far we have not seen any de-escalation on the ground, not seen any signs of reduced Russian military presence on the borders of Ukraine," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday, per Reuters.

"We will continue to convey the message we are prepared to talk," Stoltenberg added and said that they hope Russia chooses to engage in diplomacy.

"Messages on diplomacy from Moscow provide some ground for cautious optimism," he further noted but reminded that it remains to be seen whether there is Russian withdrawal.

Market reaction

These comments don't seem to be having a noticeable impact on risk sentiment. As of writing, Germany's DAX 30 Index was up 0.4% on the day and US stocks futures indexes were rising between 0.3% and 0.4%.