Over the rising tensions on its border, Ukraine has requested a meeting with Russia and other crucial European security group members.

Dmytro Kuleba, Russia’s foreign minister, said the country had rejected formal requests to justify the force build-up.

The next step, he said, would be to request a meeting within the next 48 hours to discuss Russia’s objectives.

Despite the presence of 100,000 soldiers on Ukraine’s borders, Russia has denied any ambitions to invade the country.

However, several Western countries have warned that Russia is ready for military action, with the US warning that aerial bombardments may begin “at any time.”

More than a dozen countries have issued travel advisories to their citizens, and some have withdrawn embassy personnel from Kyiv. According to three sources cited by CBS News, the US is prepared to evacuate all its employees from Kyiv within the next 48 hours.

Mr. Kuleba stated that Ukraine had asked answers from Russia on Friday in accordance with the principles of the Vienna Document, a security agreement adopted by members of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which includes Russia.

“If Russia is serious about the indivisibility of security in the OSCE space, it must follow through on its pledge to military transparency in order to de-escalate tensions and improve overall security,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed the “panic” that such accusations could cause and said he had seen no indication that Russia was plotting an invasion in the next days.

He chatted for over an hour on the phone with US Vice President Joe Biden on Sunday. According to the White House, President Biden reaffirmed US support for Ukraine, and both leaders agreed on “the need to continue to pursue diplomacy and deterrence.”

The president of Ukraine thanked the US for its “unwavering support,” and, in the end, President Zelensky urged the US president to visit Ukraine, according to a statement released after the call. The White House has made no comment on the invitation.

The day before, an hour-long call between President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to produce a breakthrough.

One of Russia’s main demands that Ukraine never joins the Nato military alliance has been made clear by Western allies, who have stated that the alliance’s door must remain open to new members.

Ukraine’s ambassador in London, Vadym Prystaiko, told the BBC that if a war were to break out, his country might be willing to drop its ambition to join Nato.

When asked if Kyiv was considering abandoning its plans to join Nato, despite the fact that it was written into the Ukrainian constitution, he responded, “We might – especially if we’re threatened, blackmailed, and pushed into it.”

However, a British government source said it was “too early” to tell if the remark was a genuine concession that could persuade Vladimir Putin to change his mind.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will meet with President Zelensky in Kyiv on Monday and President Putin in Moscow on Tuesday in the latest attempt to find a diplomatic solution.

The chancellor, who took over Germany’s leadership from Angela Merkel in December, has warned that if Russia launches an invasion, it will face severe economic consequences, echoing statements made by other Western nations and members of the Nato military alliance.

On the other hand, Officials in Berlin have discounted the chances of a breakthrough.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is planning new diplomatic talks across Europe in an attempt to bring Russia “back from the brink” of war.

President Biden’s National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, said an invasion could start “any day now” in Washington.

Mr. Sullivan stated that the US is keeping a close eye on Moscow for a possible “false flag” operation to justify a full-scale invasion by claiming it is in response to Ukrainian aggression.

Russia claims that its troop buildup along the Ukraine border is a concern, taking place on its soil. Yuri Ushakov, a senior foreign policy official, described the US warnings of impending invasion as “hysteria at its peak” on Sunday.

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