Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has promised US counterpart Chuck Hagel in a telephone call that Moscow will not assault eastern Ukraine.
Hagel voiced concern about Russian military movements but Shoigu assured him that "the troops he has arrayed along the border are there to conduct exercises only and they have no intention of crossing the border into Ukraine and that they would take no aggressive action", Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters on Thursday.
Hagel also asked how long the military "exercise" would last but Shoigu "didn't have a firm time frame for that", Kirby said.
Washington has watched a Russian build-up on Ukraine's eastern border with growing concern after Moscow's intervention in Crimea.
Moscow's promise to Washington came as Ukraine warned it would respond with military action if Russia tried to seize the country's mainly Russian-speaking eastern regions.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Wednesday the alliance was concerned Russia might push beyond Crimea into eastern Ukraine.
In the phone call, Hagel also renewed US calls for Russia to de-escalate tensions and restore Ukraine's territorial integrity.
"It was a lengthy call, lasting about an hour, and I think it's fair to say that at times it was direct," according to Kirby.
The two leaders agreed to keep up a dialogue despite the tensions.
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