Russia is massing more troops near Ukraine and an invasion could come at any time, including during this month's Winter Olympics, Washington said on Friday as Moscow further stiffened its response to Western diplomacy, APA reports quoting Reuters.

Commercial satellite images from a private U.S. company showed new Russian military deployments at several sites near Ukraine and, in his starkest warning yet to U.S. citizens, President Joe Biden said he would not send troops to rescue any who remained there in the event of a Russian assault.

"Things could go crazy quickly," Biden told NBC News.

Biden held a phone call on the crisis with the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Poland and Romania, as well as the heads of NATO and the EU.

Following that meeting and with alarm spreading, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson joined a handful of other nations in urging its citizens to leave Ukraine.

He told the meeting that he feared for the security of Europe and stressed the need for "a heavy package of economic sanctions ready to go, should Russia make the devastating and destructive decision to invade Ukraine," his office said.

https://apa.az/en/america/ukraine-invasion-could-come-any-time-as-russia-masses-more-troops-says-us-368152