Large scale escalation from Russia in January, warns Ukraine's defence minister
Follow UsStory highlights
Ukraine has been warning about a possible invasion by Russia for weeks amid reports of troop movement inside the country although Putin has dismissed the reports
Amid tensions with Russia at the border, Ukraine's defence minister said Russia is ready for "large scale escalation" at the end of January.
Ukraine's defence minister Oleksii Reznikov warned that the country's intelligence sources have analysed the "worst" scenario.
Kyiv has been warning about a possible invasion by Russia for weeks amid reports of troop movement inside the country although Putin has dismissed reports of an invasion asserting that it had the right to move troops inside its territory.
Reznikov added that Russia had gathered over 94,000 troops near Ukraine's border while asserting that it was ready to fight back if an attack was launched by Putin's regime. Kremlin described Ukraine's allegation as "nonsense".
The country's defence minister said efforts are underway to build naval bases around Crimea to fortify its defences.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov had earlier asked Antony Blinken to ensure NATO will not extend its influence to its border amid tensions with Ukraine.
The US secretary of state had warned Russia over its alleged plan to invade Ukraine even as reports said Kremlin announced President Putin and US President Biden are set to talk over a video link in the next few days.
Kremlin said it has a "concrete" date and time for the two presidents to talk over the video link. Apart from Ukraine, the two leaders may also speak on Afghanistan, Libya and the summit in Geneva in June among other issues.
(With inputs from Agencies)