Russian troop buildup is the largest since World War II: US

Russia continues to deny planning an invasion of Ukraine, but Western leaders say it could happen in the coming days.

According to US authorities, Russia currently has up to 190,000 troops stationed in and around Ukraine.

They claim it is Europe's "largest military mobilisation" since World War II.

US President Joe Biden will host a call with the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, Britain, the EU and NATO. 

Also read | Number of Russian troops around Ukraine reaches 149,000: Kyiv

In light of this warlike situation, world leaders are meeting in Munich today for the first time since 1999 for a security conference, but Russia will be absent.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin claims that the situation in Eastern Ukraine is worsening.

Since 2014, Russia has backed separatist insurgents in territories controlled by the separatists.

Moscow maintains that it has no plans to invade Ukraine and accuses the West of inciting "hysteria." 

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According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict into a war would be "catastrophic," as he said at the opening ceremony of the Munich Security Conference on Friday, which Moscow will not attend this year. 

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"With a concentration of Russian troops around Ukraine, I am deeply concerned about heightened tensions and increased speculation about a military conflict in Europe," Guterres said. If that happened, "it would be catastrophic," he warned. "There is no alternative to diplomacy."

(With inputs from agencies)