Tensions in Ukraine: Putin claims the US is attempting to drag Russia into a conflict.
Russia has sent roughly 100,000 troops to Ukraine's border in recent weeks, prepared with everything from tanks and artillery to munitions and air power.
Boakyewaa Lawrencia President Vladimir Putin of Russia has accused the United States of attempting to drag his nation into a conflict in Ukraine.
He claimed that America's intention was to exploit a conflict to justify imposing further sanctions on Russia.
Mr. Putin also said that the US was disregarding Russia's worries over Nato's (the Western military alliance) expansion into Europe.
The US and its allies accuse Russia of plotting an invasion of Ukraine, something Russia has rejected several times.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted on Tuesday that the US was "determined to prevent a confrontation that benefits no one."
Meanwhile, El Pais, a Spanish daily, has published what it claims are private documents offered to Russia by the US and Nato last week, including offers of negotiations on nuclear disarmament and trust-building measures in exchange for easing tensions over Ukraine.
According to a Nato source, the alliance never comments on supposed leaks.
Russia has sent roughly 100,000 troops to Ukraine's border in recent weeks, prepared with everything from tanks and artillery to munitions and air power.
It comes eight years after Russia took Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula and sponsored a deadly uprising in the Donbas area of eastern Ukraine.
Moscow, for its part, accuses the Ukrainian government of failing to carry out an international agreement to restore peace in the east, where at least 14,000 people have been dead and Russian-backed insurgents hold large swaths of land.
In the meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Tuesday that a Russian invasion would be "not a war between Ukraine and Russia, but a full-scale war in Europe."
Russia-Ukraine tensions: The basics
Mr. Putin said during meetings in Moscow with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban: "The United States appears to be less worried about Ukraine's security... and more interested with containing Russia's growth. In this respect, Ukraine is only an instrument for achieving this aim."
The rivalry between Russia and the United States, which still have the largest nuclear arsenals in the world, extends back to the Cold War (1947-89). Ukraine was a vital portion of the communist Soviet Union at the time, second only to Russia in importance.
Mr. Putin said that the US had dismissed Moscow's concerns in response to Moscow's requests for legally enforceable security assurances, including a halt to Nato's eastward expansion.
He suggested that if Ukraine were granted its wish to join Nato, it could drag the other members into a war with Russia.
"Imagine that Ukraine is a Nato member and a military operation [to regain Crimea] begins," the Russian leader said. "What - are we going to fight with Nato? Has anyone thought about this? It seems like they haven't."
Meanwhile, the United States maintains that it is totally committed to the discussion. Mr. Blinken said he had stressed the US desire to continue addressing "shared security issues" following a discussion with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday.
The US said earlier this week that it had received a formal answer from Russia in response to a US proposal aimed at de-escalating the Ukraine issue. However, Russia's deputy foreign minister later denied this, and a source told Ria news agency that the country was still drafting a response.
The US plan includes a promise to hold negotiations about decreasing nuclear weapons and missile launchers, according to papers revealed by El Pais, on the condition that Russia lessens its threat to Ukraine.
They also proposed a "transparent mechanism" in response to Russia's worries about US missiles in Europe. In exchange for Russia confirming there are no cruise missiles in Nato sites in Romania and Bulgaria, the US suggested doing the same at two Russian bases of its choice.
According to the documents, the US would consult with its partners on all topics affecting European security.
Civilians prepare amid threat of war
Ukraine's Western allies have been warning about Russian forces massing on the border for months.
Ukrainians who would be directly affected by any such incursion are significantly less optimistic. However, the constant mention of conflict is frightening.
Dmytro Dubas admits, "Last week I was quite upset; I even went to my psychotherapist for treatment."
When the severe battle against Russian-backed troops erupted in 2014, he joined the torrent of volunteer soldiers rushing east.
Dmytro had returned to civilian life, preserving mementos from his time in the trenches in an old ammo box in his living room, which he had painted and re-fashioned as a coffee table.
He's now eased his concerns by preparing for the worst-case scenario: filling up his car with gas, stocking up on emergency food, and enrolling in the territorial defense force to sharpen his abilities.
