Biden prepares plan to protect Ukraine; Putin slams drone deployment at border
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Kyiv has alleged Russia has positioned over 100,000 troops along the border even as Putin has asserted the country has no plans to invade Ukraine
President Putin on Friday took aim at Ukraine for deploying Bayraktar unmanned aerial vehicles produced by Turkey during a call with Turkey's President Erdogan as tensions continued at the Russian-Ukraine border.
US President Joe Biden declared his administration was putting together the "most comprehensive and meaningful set of initiatives" to make it "very, very difficult for Mr. Putin to go ahead and do what people are worried he may do" referring to Ukraine.
Biden informed that US government officials were in touch with European allies over the situation at the Ukraine border.
The move comes even as President Putin is set to speak to the US president over a video link next week. Kremlin announced that the date has been agreed but a formal announcement would be made after confirmation from the US side.
Kyiv has alleged Russia has positioned over 100,000 troops along the border even as Putin has asserted the country has no plans to invade Ukraine and that Russian troops can move around freely anywhere inside its territory.
Amid tensions, Ukraine's defence minister declared that Russia was ready for escalation in January raising fears of an invasion while informing that the Putin regime had launched exercises along the border and had started "winter training".
The Biden administration had declared earlier that it had evidence that Russia was set to attack Ukraine despite Kremlin's denial.
(With inputs from Agencies)