Ukraine prepared for escalation with Russia, says president

KIEV: President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday Ukraine was ready to take on Russia if Moscow decides to move troops across the border, amid growing Western concern over a new Russian military buildup.

"There is a threat today that there will be war tomorrow," Zelensky told a news conference. "We are entirely prepared for an escalation." "We need to depend on ourselves, on our army. It is powerful," he added.

Western countries have this month raised alarm over reported Russian military activity near Ukraine. Moscow has dismissed growing Western claims that Russia may be preparing to invade Ukraine, accusing Nato of provocations.

Earlier this week, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba warned Russia that it will "pay dearly" for an invasion. The Ukrainian army has come a long way since 2014, when it was caught off guard by Russia´s annexation of Crimea.

Ukraine and its Western allies also accused Russia of sending troops and arms across the border to support separatists who carved out two statelets in the east, but Moscow has denied those claims.

Kiev´s soldiers have since accumulated combat experience and received arms and hardware from Western allies, particularly the United States which has committed $2.5 billion in support of Ukraine´s forces since 2014.

The conflict in the east has claimed more than 13,000 lives.In recent weeks, Ukrainian and Western officials have expressed concern that a Russian military buildup near Ukraine could signal plans by Moscow to invade its ex-Soviet neighbor. The Kremlin insists it has no such intention and has accused Ukraine and its Western backers of making the claims to cover up their own allegedly aggressive designs.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine has full control of its borders and is ready for any escalation of the conflict with Russia, noting, however, that the media are engaged in fearmongering over the possibility of such a conflict.

“They want contacts between our administration and the Russian administration. I think that in the near future Yermak will contact them. We are absolutely not against” this, Zelenskyy said.

Meanwhile, Russia will face consequences if it uses its military on Ukraine, Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday as he expressed worries about Moscow´s build-up of forces on the border. It is "clear that if Russia uses force against Ukraine, that will have costs, that will have consequences," he told a media conference.