Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that Russia was sending “very dangerous” signals with troop movements on the border, warning that his military was ready to push back any offensive.
He also claimed Kiev had uncovered a coup plot involving Russian citizens, but did not give full details.
His warning came as Western governments raise worries over Russian troop movements on Ukraine’s border, with Washington saying it has “real concerns” over the troop build-up.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned that “if Russia uses force against Ukraine, that will have costs, that will have consequences”.
Zelensky, in a wide-ranging press conference in Kiev, said that “very dangerous rhetoric is coming out of Russia”.
“It is a signal that there could be escalation,” he said.
Zelensky said Ukraine was ready to take on Russia if Moscow decides to move troops across the border.
“There is a threat today that there will be war tomorrow,” he said, adding that Kiev’s “powerful” army was “entirely prepared”, as his forces reported one soldier killed on the frontline with separatists in the east on Friday.
Zelensky called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to deny he was planning an invasion.
Stoltenberg repeated Western concerns about the build-up and issued his warning of “consequences” should Russia launch a military assault on Ukraine.
The NATO chief said a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Latvia’s capital Riga next week would address the massing of Russian military units on the border, which provides “very strong reasons to be deeply concerned”.
For Washington “It is not acceptable for Russia to continue to potentially use military action against Ukraine”, said US Assistant Secretary for Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried.
“All options are on the table,” she said. “What we’re doing now is monitoring the region closely, consulting with our allies and partners on how do we deter Russian action.”
Meanwhile British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki, on a visit to London, expressed their “unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” according to a Downing Street spokesman.
On Sunday, Ukraine’s chief of defence intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said that Russia had around 92,000 troops massed at the Ukraine border, with an offensive expected in January or February.
Such an attack could involve air and artillery strikes, followed by airborne and amphibious assaults, Budanov told the US media outlet Military Times.
Moscow has dismissed all such accusations and blamed Washington for raising tensions in the region.