Biden vows new measures to protect Ukraine from Russia

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden on Friday said he was preparing fresh policies to halt any Russian plans to invade Ukraine after Washington and Kiev reported Moscow had massed troops near its border.

Tensions have skyrocketed in recent weeks after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Moscow against an invasion. Kiev said Russia has deployed around 115,000 troops near its borders, on Moscow-annexed Crimea and in two eastern regions held by pro-Russian rebels.

The Kremlin denied the allegations and accused the United States of stoking tensions. "What I am doing is putting together what I believe will be the most comprehensive and meaningful set of initiatives to make it very, very difficult for Mr. Putin to go ahead and do what people are worried he may do," Biden told reporters on Friday.

The Kremlin said Friday a video call would take place next week between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Biden. Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters a date had been agreed but would not be announced until final details of the talks have also been set.

Despite increased contacts between the two rivals since Putin and Biden met for the first time at a summit in Geneva in June, tensions have remained high.

As well as the Ukraine conflict, Russia and the United States continue to argue over cyberattacks and the staffing of their embassies, after several waves of diplomatic expulsions.Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday criticised Kiev for deploying Turkish-made drones in its conflict with pro-Moscow separatists during a call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Putin, according to a Kremlin transcript of the call, said Kiev was aiming to disrupt peace agreements in eastern Ukraine, with "provocative" military action in the conflict zone, "including the use of Bayraktar unmanned aerial vehicles", which are produced by Turkey.Ukraine warned on Friday that Russia could launch a large-scale attack on the country in late January as tensions soar over an alleged Russian troop build-up near Kiev’s borders.The United States and its allies have for weeks accused Russia of planning an invasion of Ukraine and massing troops along Kiev’s borders.

Moscow seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and has since backed separatists fighting Kiev in eastern Ukraine. The conflict has left more than 13,000 dead.