The United States said Thursday it would wait for follow-up by Russia after it announced an end to military drills near Ukraine that have sent tensions soaring.

"We've heard the words. I think what we'll be looking for is action," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

"We have made clear in our engagement with the Russian government that it needs to refrain from escalatory actions and immediately cease all its aggressive activity in and around Ukraine," he said.

Price declined to say if Russia had previously informed the United States of its drawdown.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu earlier Thursday said he was ordering an end to drills near Ukraine involving tens of thousands of troops and dozens of warships.

President Joe Biden in a phone call earlier this month urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin -- who joined him Thursday for a virtual climate summit -- to lower tensions on Ukraine where a deadly conflict involving pro-Russian separatists has been grinding on since 2014.