Tensions Rise between Ukraine and Russia, Zelenski Vows Firm Military Response

Ukraine on Thursday accused Russia of flagrantly threatening it with destruction and warned Moscow that any escalation of fighting would be met with a firm military response.

Tensions have risen once again in the long-simmering conflict in eastern Ukraine, where government forces have battled pro-Russian separatists since 2014.

Kiev and its Western allies this week have sounded the alarm over a huge build-up of Russian military personnel along Ukraine's northern and eastern borders, as well as on the Crimean peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014. 

During a press conference Thursday, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said rhetoric in Moscow had reached a fever pitch with pundits and officials issuing "dehumanising" statements aimed at intimidating Kiev.

"They are openly threatening Ukraine with war and the destruction of Ukrainian statehood," Kuleba told reporters at a press conference with counterparts from former Soviet countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

"The red line of Ukraine is the state border. If Russia crosses the red line, then it will have to suffer," Kuleba added.

The visit to Ukraine from senior diplomats from the Baltic states is the latest show of support for Kiev from European countries and the United States, which has promised "unwavering" backing.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis reiterated that support Thursday telling reporters "Ukraine will never be on its own."

"We stand with you, we stand in solidarity," he said.

The display of solidarity follows US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreeing on Thursday to call on Russia to reduce its troops on the border with Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy was also...