Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK) – Boris Johnson that said there are intelligence inputs that suggest Russia intends launching an invasion of Ukraine and encircle its capital Kyiv.
“People need to understand the sheer cost in human life that could entail,” UK PM Boris Johnson had said after the Munich Security Conference.
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Notably, the West fears a possible invasion of Ukraine by Russia as the latter continues to build-up troops near the Ukraine border.
However, Russia time and again, has denied any plans to invade Ukraine, but wants sweeping security guarantees.
Also read: ‘World War’ scare: US says Russia could invade Ukraine ‘at any moment’
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Western intelligence agencies claim that around 1.6 lakh Russian troops are ready to attack Ukraine and marching towards the border.
Meanwhile, the United States has warned that Russian invasion of Ukraine can happen any time now.
On the other hand, on Monday, Russia has said that shell fired by Ukraine military destroyed a Russian border facility.
Moreover, Moscow has said that it was too early for a summit between the Russian and American presidents.
Also read: Ukraine President calls for immediate ceasefire
“It is premature to talk about any specific plans for organising any kind of summits,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“There is an understanding that dialogue should be continued at the level of foreign ministers,” Peskov said.
Peskov said that fresh fighting between separatists and the Ukrainian army had made the situation on the ground “extremely tense”.
“We are talking about provocative and aggressive actions being carried out by the Ukrainian army that are endangering people’s lives,” Peskov said.
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Meanwhile, Ukraine has urged the European Union (EU) to slap sanctions on Russia ‘now’ to prevent a war.
“The European Union must start imposing some sanctions on Russia now to show it is serious about wanting to prevent a war in Ukraine,” Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said.
A US official said that Russian front-line commanders have been given orders to begin final preparations for an attack.
The US has told the United Nations that it has “credible information that indicates Russian forces are creating lists of identified Ukrainians to be killed or sent to camps following a military occupation”.