Washington has warned Russia of severe consequences if it mounts a new offensive, while promising to beef up its security presence in Europe.

US President Joe Biden's administration last month approved the provision of an additional $US200 million in defensive security assistance to Ukraine and gave more such aid last year than at any point since Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. 'We know that there are plans in place to increase that force even more on very short notice, and that gives President Putin the capacity, also on very short notice, to take further aggressive action against Ukraine,' Blinken said. The Russian buildup, he said, was taking place with 'no provocation, no reason.' 'As you all know very, very well, we have been engaged in the past couple of months in an intense focus on Ukraine because of the significant buildup we've seen of Russian forces we've seen near the Ukrainian border,' Blinken said. Speaking to diplomats at the US embassy in Kiev, Blinken said he strongly hopes that Russia can stick to a diplomatic and peaceful path when he meets Lavrov, and warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could give the order to attack at short notice. Moscow denies plans to launch an attack but has pressed Washington for security guarantees, including a block on Ukraine joining the NATO alliance.

Adding to the jitters, Russia moved additional troops into Belarus this week ahead of what Minsk said were planned joint exercises next month.

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