Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday accused Moscow of building up troops on his country's border as the United States warned Russia against "intimidating" Ukraine.
Kyiv has been locked in a conflict with Russian-backed separatists since 2014, and this week Ukrainian officials reported Russian troop movement in annexed Crimea and on the border, near territories controlled by Moscow-backed separatists.
On Thursday, Zelensky's ministers discussed the escalating security situation with Western allies, including U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
Some observers said the reported Russian troop buildup was a test for the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, who caused an uproar in Moscow last month by calling his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a "killer."
This week, Moscow and Kyiv blamed each other for a rise in violence between government forces and Kremlin-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, which has undermined the cease-fire.
Zelensky said 20 Ukrainian servicemen had been killed and 57 wounded since the start of the year.
Separately, the military announced that a Ukrainian soldier had been wounded in an attack it blamed on separatists.
On Thursday, U.S. defense chief Austin called his Ukrainian counterpart, Andriy Taran, Ukraine's defense ministry said.
Austin said during the call that Washington would "not leave Ukraine alone in the event of escalating Russian aggression," the ministry said.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, for his part, discussed the "aggravation by the Russian Federation of the security situation" on the front line with his Canadian counterpart, Marc Garneau.
Ukraine's military intelligence accused Russia of preparing to "expand its military presence" in the separatist-controlled eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk.
In a statement, the intelligence service said it "does not rule out" an attempt by Russian forces to move "deep into Ukrainian territory."
A high-ranking Ukrainian government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that the Russian army was practicing "military coordination" with separatists.
"From mid-April their combat units will be ready for an offensive," the official told AFP.
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