A military invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces could be imminent, the White House warned its allies in Europe on Thursday.
The United States is concerned that Russia may take aggressive action amid tensions over the Belarusian-Polish border and an increasingly tenuous situation with Europe's natural gas supply.
Fears of a possible military operation were partially sparked by a buildup of Russian firepower at its border with Ukraine, Bloomberg first reported.
US officials have briefed their European counterparts but their assessment is also based on insights they haven't yet shared with EU allies, people close to the story told the outlet.
A coordinated collective response wouldn't be possible until all that information is shared amongst them.
Russia denied the accusations but expressed anger over American warships in the Black Sea that it says sailed too close to its territory.
A source reportedly linked to the Kremlin said Russia isn't looking to start a war with Ukraine but indicated it was prepared to if necessary.
A Kremlin official noted that an overt Russian attack would invoke public outrage in Ukraine and among the global community. But they have a plan to respond to the smaller country's 'provocations,' they said.
Over the last few weeks Russia has moved tanks and artillery to its border with Ukraine, an analysis by Bloomberg earlier this week showed.
That prompted CIA Director Bill Burns to fly to Moscow and have a rare one-on-one with President Vladimir Putin.
There he shared the US's 'serious' concerns over the military buildup, sources told CNN.
DailyMail.com reached out to the State Department for comment but was referred to comments made on Wednesday by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, when he echoed similar concerns in a press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
'We’re concerned by reports of unusual Russian military activity near Ukraine. We’re monitoring the region very closely, as we always do, we’ll continue to consult closely as well with allies and partners on this issue,' Blinken told reporters.
'And as we’ve made clear, any escalatory or aggressive actions would be of great concern to the United States. We continue to support de-escalation in the region and diplomatic resolution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine.'
The report comes as fighting between Russian-backed groups and Ukrainian forces heats up. It began in 2014 after Russia illegally annexed the Crimean peninsula following a revolution that overthrew Ukraine's former president who was widely seen as another mouthpiece of Putin's.
Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation, a militarized force created in 2018 to defend the country in the ongoing conflict in the Donbas region, accused Russia of violating the ceasefire agreement five times over a 24-hour period on Monday.
In a statement posted to Facebook the JFO accused Russia of 'armed aggression,' though the Kremlin has consistently denied involvement in the conflict.
Tensions in Europe have been inflamed by a gas shortage, with Russian company Gazprom, the continent's top energy supplier, having decreased its daily outflow in October in order to meet the needs of Putin's domestic replenishment campaign.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Putin of intentionally engineering the gas crisis and urged western Europe to act swiftly with punishment.
But Gazprom increased its output to Europe earlier this week after Russia' stockpile was deemed full.
But the burgeoning refugee crisis on the border between Poland and Russia's neighbor Belarus is threatening to further complicate the situation, which could grow more dire going into winter.
Much of Russia's oil supply to Europe runs through Belarus and Poland.
Over the last week western democracies have accused Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko of 'weaponizing' migrants from Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East by enabling them to fly to his country before seeking to break into the EU.
Devastating scenes have emerged from the region of desperate migrants getting brutal treatment from soldiers on both sides. Some even froze to death in the harsh Eastern European climate this time of year.
In response to threats of expanded sanctions, Lukashenko threatened to shut down the oil supply coming in from Russia to the rest of Europe.
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