Live updates: follow the latest news on Russia-Ukraine
The Kremlin on Monday played down talk of a summit between Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin, dampening hopes that a US-Russia meeting could ease the crisis in Ukraine.
Dmitry Peskov, Mr Putin’s spokesman, said it was "premature to talk about any specific plans for organising any kind of summits" after France suggested it was close to holding such a meeting.
Early gains in European stock trading were wiped out after Mr Peskov’s comments.
The US said it was open to talks, as prolonged Russian drills in Belarus and murky developments on Russia's border with Ukraine heighten fears of military action.
Amid fears Russia will seek a pretext to invade, its security forces claimed on Monday that a border checkpoint had been destroyed by a projectile fired from Ukraine and that five saboteurs had been killed after crossing the border into Russia. Ukraine rejected both these claims.
In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said “elements of the Russian playbook” that could accompany an invasion were already “starting to play out in real time”.
There was further concern about Belarus, which borders Ukraine to the south, and which announced on Sunday that allied Russian troops were staying on its territory indefinitely.
“In the shadows of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, we have seen more or less an annexation of Belarus, at least militarily, by the Russians,” said Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.
“I have my doubts whether the Russians will ever pull out of Belarus again.”
EU foreign ministers, who were meeting in Brussels on Monday, called for Russia to return to the negotiating table after a flurry of calls by French President Emmanuel Macron aimed at brokering talks.
Mr Macron said the US and Russian leaders had agreed to talks in principle, although Mr Peskov cast doubt on that claim by saying that it was foreign ministers who were scheduled to meet. Mr Biden and Mr Putin last met in Geneva in June last year.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin signs documents recognising two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent. AFP -
A Ukrainian soldier walks past fragments of a mortar shell amid fighting near the front line in Travneve, Donetsk region. Reuters -
People wave Russian flags while celebrating Moscow's recognition of the self-proclaimed republic's independence, in Donetsk. AP -
Protesters gather at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry in Kiev, calling on the EU to impose additional sanctions against Russia. Getty Images -
Members of the security forces walk in an underpass at a railway station in Kiev. Getty Images -
A Ukrainian soldier on the front line near the village of Travneve, in Donetsk. Reuters -
Alisa, 38, a media relations specialist, takes part in a combat skills training for civilians near Kiev. Reuters -
Alisa poses with a gun at her home near Kiev. Reuters -
A young girl takes part in a rally in defence of 'Ukraine, Europe and democratic values', organised by the Association of Ukrainians in Portugal, outside the Russian Consulate in Porto, Portugal. EPA -
A Ukrainian soldier takes time out to play with dogs on the front line near the city of Novoluhanske, in Donetsk. Reuters -
People gather under the Ukrainian flag for a Day of Solidarity with Ukraine at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. AFP -
Residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic cross from Ukraine into Russia, after it was announced that women and children would be led to the Rostov region due to rising tension in the area. EPA -
After the evacuation of separatist-controlled regions of eastern Ukraine, people complete documents in a temporary accommodation centre in Rostov, Russia. Reuters -
War veterans and volunteers train civilians in handling weapons on one of Kiev's city beaches. AFP -
Russian and Belarusian helicopters taking part in a joint military exercise of the allied countries’ armed forces. EPA -
Ukrainian National Guard soldiers at a mobile checkpoint together with the Ukrainian Security Service agents and police officers during a joint operation in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP -
US President Joe Biden delivers a national update on the situation at the Russia-Ukraine border at the White House in Washington, DC. AFP -
A Polish soldier uses his phone, as US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak visit the Air Base in Powidz, Poland. Reuters -
Mr Austin, left, addresses US troops stationed at the Powidz Air Base in Poland. AP Photo -
A woman walks to board a bus, arranged to evacuate local residents, in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine. Reuters -
A satellite image shows an overview of helicopter deployments near Lake Donuzlav in Crimea, Ukraine. Reuters -
A Ukrainian Military Forces serviceman looks through a spyglass on the front line with Russia-backed separatists not far from Novolugansk in the Donetsk region. AFP -
A serviceman keeps position on the front line. AFP -
A Ukrainian frontier guard patrols along the border with Russia, some 40km from the city of Kharkiv. AFP -
US President Joe Biden speaks to the media about Russia's buildup on the Ukrainian border as he leaves the White House in Washington. EPA -
A Ukrainian frontier guard stands at a check point. AFP -
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio enter a hall during a meeting in Moscow. Reuters -
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses the United Nations Security Council. AP Photo -
An elderly lady walks by as members of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination survey damage to a house from artillery shell that landed in Vrubivka, eastern Ukraine. AP Photo -
French President Emmanuel Macron arrives for an extraordinary meeting of EU leaders to discuss Ukraine at the European Council building in Brussels. AP Photo -
A local resident boards a train at a suburban area of Kiev. Reuters -
A woman stands among debris after the reported shelling of a nursery in the settlement of Stanytsia Luhanska, Ukraine. AFP -
A protester shouts slogans during a demonstration outside the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev against high government taxes. AFP -
A member of the 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army rests ahead of deployment to Poland from Fort Bragg in the US. AP Photo -
Members of the 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army clean weaponry ahead of deployment to Poland. AP Photo
'Dicey situation'
Moscow signalled that it is open to discussions on issues such as arms control, but has not hidden its frustration that the West will not discuss its central demand of refusing Ukraine admission to the Nato military alliance.
The fragile situation was worsened by claims and counterclaims about outbreaks of violence in eastern Ukraine, with shells fired across the line of contact between government forces and pro-Russian separatists.
The US and its allies have said that Russia could use a provocation such as this as grounds for moving its troops into Ukraine.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock described the situation as “very dicey” and told Russia not to play with the lives of people in eastern Ukraine.
“It is in your hands,” she said. “We are at the table every minute and every hour. We are waiting for you.”
The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday that work was complete on preparing sanctions that Russia would face it if invades Ukraine – although he said he hoped they would not be needed.
While Europe has not said what these measures would involve, Denmark’s Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said they would be the “most devastating sanctions ever seen on Russia”.
“We are ready for a diplomatic solution. The problem is we don’t know where Putin and Russia will be,” Mr Kofod said.
Britain has separately lined up sanctions which it said would prevent Russian companies from raising money on London’s financial markets.
Western powers were facing a demand from Ukraine to bring in these sanctions immediately, with the Russian build-up on the country’s borders already taking its toll on the Ukrainian people and economy.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the weekend that it would be too late to sanction Russia once it invades and asked western leaders: “What are you waiting for?”
His remarks won sympathy from Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who said on Monday that Ukraine was “already under attack” and called on Europe to consider an immediate response.
The US said that imposing sanctions now would render them ineffective as a deterrent if Russia has further to fear from invading Ukraine.
Mr Schallenberg said Belarus could face separate sanctions if a Russian invasion was launched from there.
A German government spokesman said they were not aware that this was under consideration.
