Ukraine officials are seeking a meeting within 48 hours with Russia and other members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), a key security group, to explain the buildup of troops on its border.
"If Russia is serious when it talks about the indivisibility of security in the OSCE space, it must fulfill its commitment to military transparency in order to de-escalate tensions and enhance security for all," Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said, reports the BBC.
Kuleba said the request comes after Russia has ignored Ukraine's formal requests to explain why at least 100,000 troops have been placed along the country's borders.
Both countries are among the 57 countries from Europe, Central Asia, and North America, who participate in OSCE, as is the United States, and under the group's Vienna Document, member states can ask for information on a fellow member's military activities.
The request comes after the White House warned that Moscow could invade Ukraine at any time, and as the U.S. and more than a dozen other nations are urging citizens to evacuate from Ukraine.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, has called the warnings of an invasion "panic" and said he hasn't seen proof that Russia is planning to invade his country.
Zelenskyy spoke with President Joe Biden for about an hour Sunday, with Biden stressing the U.S. supports Ukraine.
The two men also agreed on "the importance of continuing to pursue diplomacy and deterrence," and Ukraine, after the call, thanked the U.S. for its "unwavering support."
Zelenskyy also invited Biden to visit his country.
Biden spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for an hour Saturday, but there were no breakthroughs. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz it to meet with Zelenskyy on Monday and with Putin on Tuesday in Moscow.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, meanwhile, told CNN Sunday that an invasion could begin "any day now."
"We cannot perfectly predict the day, but we have now been saying for some time that we are in the window," Sullivan said.
Scholz, who became chancellor in December has warned Russia will face severe economic punishment should it invade Ukraine, as has the United States and members of NATO, but officials in Berlin have played down expectations that there could be a breakthrough.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, meanwhile, said he plans to hold diplomatic talks across Europe in hopes of bringing Russia "back from the brink" of war.
Russia, however, says it is building up troops along the Ukraine border for its own concerns, and senior foreign policy official Yuri Ushakov said "hysteria has reached its peak" with the United States' warnings that an invasion is imminent.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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