Russia on Saturday accused the United States of increasing the risk of war with its warnings of a possible imminent invasion of Ukraine, as an increasing number of governments advised their citizens to leave the country.
The "propaganda campaign" of the United States and its allies was "provocative," Moscow said after a telephone conversation between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart Antony Blinken.
Kiev is being encouraged to "sabotage the Minsk agreement" and pursue "a military solution to the Donbas problem," it said, referring to a region in eastern Ukraine where pro-Russian separatists are fighting against Ukrainian forces.
Moscow repeatedly accuses Kiev of not fulfilling its obligations under the peace plan for eastern Ukraine agreed in 2015 in the Belarusian capital Minsk.
"Alarmism" is being spread in the United States without any evidence being presented to support the allegations, Russian ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said on Saturday.
The statements in Washington merely testify to the fact that the US has intensified its "propaganda campaign" against Russia, he added.
President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on Saturday that his government had no information about a possible invasion aside from claims made by the US.
If anyone has additional information about an invasion on February 16, please alert the Ukrainian government, Zelensky said. He added that Ukrainian forces were nonetheless prepared for war.
Unlike the West, Russia also sees a threat of war more from the Ukrainian side and fears that they could try to take back the breakaway territories in Luhansk and Donetsk, collectively known as Donbas, by force.
On Friday, the US government said that it considers a Russian incursion into Ukraine possible before the close of the Winter Olympics in China on February 20.
Moscow also said that Lavrov had criticized the West for ignoring key Russian demands for security guarantees.
Among other things, the Kremlin is demanding an end to NATO's eastward enlargement and in particular wants to prevent Ukraine from joining the Western military alliance. NATO has rejected this demand and invokes the free choice of alliance of states.
Moscow denies it is planning any type of incursion, but has massed over 100,000 troops along Ukraine's borders.
Sphere of influence
The Kremlin has used the attention on the region to express fears that NATO has encroached too close to its territory and demanded that the security alliance withdraw from what Russia considers its sphere of influence.
In response to the tensions, NATO countries have deployed troops and equipment to fellow member states that share a border with Ukraine.
The Romanian Defence Ministry announced late Friday that the US Air Force has transferred eight F-16 fighter jets to its territory. The aircraft arrived at Borcea Air Base, 150 kilometres east of Bucharest.
They would take part in joint exercises with the Romanian military along with 150 US soldiers, the ministry said in a statement.
US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to discuss the stand-off in a phone call on Saturday.
A number of countries have advised their citizens to leave Ukraine - including Russia.
'Provocations by Kiev'
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova justified the new guidance by pointing to "possible provocations by the Kiev regime or third states."
Her statement on Saturday said officials had decided upon "a certain optimization of the staff of Russian missions abroad in Ukraine."
Both the Russian embassy and consulates in Ukraine continued to carry out their basic activities, Zakharova stressed.
The United States and Britain were among the first countries to tell their citizens to leave Ukraine as quickly as possible.
They have been joined by Germany, Belgium, Denmark, the three Baltic states, Australia, Lithuania, Sweden, Italy, Spain and New Zealand.
Israel also issued a warning against travel to Ukraine. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said late Friday that the relatives of diplomats are to be evacuated from the country and instructed all Israeli citizens living there to register via a link.
The European Union's delegation in Ukraine was "not evacuating," EU foreign service spokesperson Peter Stano said on Saturday. However, "non-essential staff [have] been given the opportunity to telework from outside the country," he said.
