SIMFEROPOL, Crimea (Reuters) - Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev flaunted Russia's grip on Crimea by flying to the region and holding a government meeting there on Monday, angering Ukraine and defying Western demands to hand the peninsula back to Kiev.
But in a gesture that could ease tension in the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War, Russia pulled some troops back from near Ukraine's eastern frontier - a move the United States said would be a positive sign if it is confirmed as a withdrawal.
