Ukraine urged NATO on Wednesday to prepare economic measures against Russia to ward off an invasion by tens of thousands of Russian troops deployed near its border.
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's foreign minister, said he would propose a NATO foreign ministers meeting for the second day in Latvia to debate how to respond to Russia's buildup and avert the greatest crisis in relations with Moscow since the Cold War.
"We will call on the allies to join Ukraine in putting together a deterrence package," Kuleba told reporters upon his arrival in Riga for the discussions.
This should include preparing economic penalties against Russia if it "decides to chose the worst-case scenario," Kuleba said, adding that NATO should also strengthen military and defense cooperation with Ukraine.
Ukraine is not a NATO member, but the US-led alliance has stated its commitment to protecting the former Soviet republic's sovereignty. Since 2014, Ukraine has leaned toward the West and hopes to join NATO and the European Union.
This has infuriated Russia, prompting President Vladimir Putin to warn on Tuesday that Russia was prepared with a newly tested hypersonic weapon if NATO exceeded its "red lines" and put missiles in Ukraine.
Russia also supports separatists in Ukraine's long-running east-Ukrainian conflict, accusing Kyiv on Wednesday of mobilizing 125,000 troops, or half its army, in the conflict zone. Kyiv did not respond to a request for comment.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine's president, said direct negotiations with Moscow were necessary to end the conflict in the eastern Donbas area, which Kyiv claims have killed more than 14,000 people.
"We must tell the truth that we will not be able to stop the war without direct negotiations with Russia, and today this has already been recognised by all, all external partners," Zelenskiy told parliament.
Russia announced the start of routine winter military drills in its southern military zone, portions of which border Ukraine, and the relocation of 10,000 troops to training areas spread over the vast territory. Belarus, a NATO partner, has also announced joint military exercises with Russia near the Ukrainian border.
Avoiding Putin
Since 2014, when Russia seized Ukraine's Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, the West has maintained economic sanctions against Russia's oil, banking, and defense sectors. Additionally, it has imposed asset freezes and travel bans on a growing list of critical Russian officials.
However, Russia has mitigated the sanctions' impact by limiting its reliance on foreign financial markets and preserving sizable currency and gold reserves.
"We are confident that if we join efforts, if we act in a coordinated fashion, we will be able to deter President Putin and to demotivate him from choosing the worst-case scenario, which is a military operation," Ukraine's Kuleba stated.
Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod told reporters that any military operation that infringes on Ukraine's sovereignty would have "severe consequences," and Denmark was prepared to impose harsh penalties.
His remarks echoed those of NATO and the US, which warned Russia on Tuesday that any further military aggression against Ukraine would be met with severe consequences.
"Any future Russian aggression against Ukraine would come at a high price and have serious political and economic consequences for Russia," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters following the first day of discussions.
In Stockholm, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday.
