The White House says there’s no evidence that Russia’s gone ahead and pulled its troops back from the Ukrainian border as President Vladimir Putin claims.

Russia’s had about 40,000 troops on the border for weeks.

Putin’s also urging insurgents in southeast Ukraine to postpone Sunday’s planned referendum on autonomy.

Despite his comments, pro-Russia militants say they’ll go ahead with the referendum.

Meanwhile, International Trade Minister Ed Fast says Canada supports a decision by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development to delay Russia’s entry to the group.

He adds Russia should not be a member of the 34-country group until it backs off from its stance on Ukraine.