Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of building up troops on the border. The United States has warned Russia against intimidating Ukraine.
Kiev has been locked in a conflict with Russia-backed separatists since 2014, and this week Ukrainian officials reported Russian troop movement in captured Crimea and on the border, near territories controlled by Moscow-backed separatists.
“Muscle-flexing in the form of military exercises and possible provocations along the border are traditional Russian games,” Zelensky said in a statement. The US State Department said it was absolutely concerned by recent escalations of Russian aggressive and provocative actions in eastern Ukraine.
This week, Moscow and Kiev blamed each other for a rise in violence between government forces and Kremlin-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, which has undermined the ceasefire.
