Ignore 'apocalyptic predictions' on possible Russia invasion, urges Ukraine foreign minister

Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kulebaurged people on Sunday to ignore "apocalyptic predictions" about an imminent Russian invasion, saying his country was strong and had unprecedented international support.

President Volodymyr Zelenskysaid a week ago that Ukraine was not a sinking Titanic, and he accused Washington and the media of fuelling panic that weighed on the economy when there were "no tanks in the streets."

"Today, Ukraine has a strong army, unprecedented international support and Ukrainians' faith in their country," Kuleba said on Twitter.

"The enemy should be afraid of us, not us of them."

A day earlier, two U.S. officials said that Russia may be ready for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by mid-February, as it had in place about 70 per cent of the combat power it believed it would need and was sending more battalion tactical groups to the border.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday that Russia could take military action "any day now" but could still opt for diplomacy.

"Different capitals have different scenarios, but Ukraine is ready for any development," Kuleba said.

The European Union'seconomic commissioner, Paolo Gentiloni, said on Sunday that the focus should be on diplomacy.

"We must help the NATO countries bordering Russia and strengthen them also from a military point of view," he said on Italian national broadcaster RAI.

"We must also be prepared for economic reactions and sanctions if there is a deterioration."

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke again on Sunday with U.S. President Joe Biden in a "co-ordination logic" ahead of his trip to Moscow on Monday, both administrations said.

The 40-minutecall allowed the two leaders to "shareinformation about contacts made during the weekend" for goodco-ordination ahead of the trip, the French presidency said.

Russia has amassed more than 100,000 troops near the Ukraineborder, sparking fears of a planned assault.

Moscow has said it is not planning an invasion but could take unspecified military action if its security demands are not met.

Those include a promise that the North Atlantic Treaty Organizationwill never admit Ukraine, a demand Washington and NATO have said is unacceptable.