Tensions have risen in recent weeks, as the United States and its NATO allies have expressed concern that the build-up of about 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine may indicate Moscow plans to invade its former Soviet neighbor. . Russia denies any such design – and has made several demands it says will improve security in Europe.

    But as expected, the US and Western coalition on Wednesday strongly rejected any concessions on Moscow’s key points, refusing to permanently ban Ukraine from joining NATO and saying that in Eastern Europe Allied deployment of troops and military equipment is non-negotiable. The US outlined areas in which some of Russia’s concerns could be addressed, possibly offering a route to de-escalation.

    “There is no change, there will be no change,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, reiterating the warning that any Russian incursion into Ukraine would have major consequences and serious economic costs.

    All eyes are now on President Vladimir Putin, who will decide how Russia will respond amid fears that Europe may plunge into war again.

    Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the US response – and a similar response from NATO – left “little ground for optimism”. But he added that there is “always the possibility of continuing the dialogue, it is in the best interest of both us and the Americans.”

    Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the US response contained elements that could “start a serious dialogue on secondary issues”, but stressed that “there is no positive response to the main issue in the document.” These are Moscow’s demands that NATO not expand and that the coalition refrain from deploying weapons that could threaten Russia.

    Lavrov said top officials would submit the proposal to Putin. Peskov said the Russian response would come soon.

    The deferential official comments reflect the fact that it is Putin who alone will determine Russia’s next steps. He has warned of unspecified “military-technical measures” if the West refuses to heed the demands.

Peskov said Putin and US President Joe Biden would decide whether they needed to renegotiate after two calls last month.

    Biden is set to hold a call with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday, according to a Zelensky spokesman.

    Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said Kiev had seen the US reaction before it was handed over to Russia and had no objections. “It is important that the US remains in close contact with Ukraine before and after all contacts with Russia,” he tweeted.

    On a visit to Denmark, Kuleba emphasized the need to strengthen his country’s defense.

“This crisis is a moment of truth, and that’s why we talk about weapons,” he said. “That is why we talk about economic sanctions. That’s why we talk about the consolidated position of all of us, so that President Putin sees that there is no weak link in our defensive chain.”

    German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock said during a parliamentary debate on Ukraine that her government was coordinating its policy with allies while considering several options, which could include the new Nord Stream 2 Russian gas pipeline to Germany. .

    Where diplomacy is intensified, so do maneuvers that have increased tension. Russia has launched a series of military exercises involving motorized infantry and artillery units in southwestern Russia, warplanes in Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, dozens of warships in the Black Sea and the Arctic, and Russian fighter jets and paratroopers in Belarus .

    NATO said it was increasing its deterrence in the Baltic Sea region, and the US ordered 8,500 troops on high alert for a possible deployment to Europe.

    Amid tensions, thousands of Ukrainians took to Twitter and Facebook to express their resolve to face Russian pressure under the hashtag #UkrainiansWillResist.

“No one will force Ukrainians to accept the Kremlin ultimatum,” wrote campaign launchman Andrey Leves.

    As fears of war grew, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry organized training on acting in emergency situations, with an emphasis on handling explosives.

    Beyond concerns about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, there is also speculation that Moscow’s response could include a military deployment to the Western Hemisphere.

    While a senior Russian diplomat recently ruled out such deployments to Cuba and Venezuela, a top Putin aide cast doubt on that possibility on Thursday.

    “The goal of Cuba and Venezuela is to come out of isolation and restore somewhat normal relations with the US, so there can be no talk of setting up a base there,” said a deputy, Dmitry Medvedev. The head of the Security Council of Russia told Russian media.

    While he accused the West of using Ukraine to engage Russia, he grudgingly acknowledged that the Russia-NATO conflict “will be the most dramatic and simply disastrous scenario, and I hope it never happens.”

    Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexei Zaitsev denied that Moscow had any intentions of attacking Ukraine, adding: “We consider unacceptable even a thought about war between our peoples.”

    While concerns remain about a possible Russian attack, a separatist conflict in Ukraine has subsided. Following the 2014 expulsion of the Kremlin-friendly president in Kiev, Moscow annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and supported an insurgency in the country’s eastern industrial zone. More than 14,000 people have died in fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed rebels, and efforts to strike a deal have stalled.

    Since the conflict began, Russia has been accused of sending troops and weapons to separatists, a denial of this. On Thursday, Peskov would not comment on a proposal by the Kremlin’s main political party, United Russia, that suggested Moscow respond to Western weapons deliveries to Ukraine by sending weapons to the rebels. He said Putin was aware of the proposal, but did not immediately respond.

    Envoys from Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany met in Paris on Wednesday to discuss ways to resolve that conflict, with no apparent progress, but agreed to hold another meeting in two weeks. Zelensky described the talks as “constructive” and urged an urgent meeting of the leaders of the four countries.

    However, Medvedev said that Moscow does not see any point in talking to Zelensky, hoping that Ukrainians will eventually “get tired of that bedlam and elect a leadership that will pursue policies … for the purpose of relations.”

    The remarks follow a British claim that the Kremlin was seeking to replace Ukraine’s government with a pro-Moscow administration – a charge Russia denied.

    Associated Press writers Yuras Karmanau in Kiev, Ukraine, Jan M. Olsson in Copenhagen, Denmark and Frank Jordan in Berlin contributed.