Zelenskyy urges stronger action over Russia

Poland and Lithuania joined Ukraine on Monday to call for stronger Western sanctions against Moscow amid a Russian troop buildup near the Ukrainian border that has fueled fears of an invasion.

U.S. intelligence officials say Russia has amassed 70,000 troops near its border with Ukraine and is preparing for a possible invasion early next year.

Moscow has denied an intention to attack, but demanded that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet countries, and roll back the alliance's military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe.

Polish President Andrzej Duda and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Huta in western Ukraine's Carpathian Mountains to show their support.

In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the three leaders called on other international leaders to step up sanctions against Russia.

"Our common task is to deter the threat posed by Russia and defend Europe from Russia's aggressive policies," Zelenskyy said at a news conference after the talks. "Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania are the vanguard of that deterrence today."

The Ukrainian leader called for "powerful preventative actions, powerful serious sanctions to exclude any thought about escalation."

Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the demand for security guarantees in last week's video call with U.S. President Joe Biden, who warned that Russia would face "severe consequences" if Moscow attacked its neighbor.

Russian diplomats have said that Moscow will have to up the ante if its demands are rejected.

IMAGE: AP