Vladimir Putin could cause decades of tension with the West, a UK defence minister has warned amid claims the build-up of Russian forces on the borders with Ukraine has continued.
Armed forces minister James Heappey said a stand-off between Russia and the West “could last a generation or more”.
The US has accused Russia of adding up to 7,000 troops near the Ukraine border and Nato’s secretary general said “we have not seen any sign of withdrawal” despite Moscow’s claims some units were returning to base.
In another flurry of diplomatic activity Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, was heading to eastern Europe on Thursday for a visit which will include a speech in Kyiv.
She warned that Russia might try to stage a “false flag” operation to justify an attack.
A senior White House official said there had been a marked increase in false claims by Russians, including reports of unmarked graves of civilians allegedly killed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Russia has denied it has any plans to invade Ukraine and has released footage which it claimed showed troops and equipment pulling back from locations near Ukraine following the completion of military exercises.
In an Daily Telegraph article, Truss wrote: “We must not be lulled into a false sense of security by Russia claiming that some troops are returning to their barracks, while in fact the Russian military build-up shows no signs of slowing.”
“We must have no illusions that Russia could drag this out much longer in a brazen ploy to spend weeks more – if not months – subverting Ukraine and challenging Western unity. This is a test of our mettle.”
She will use a speech in Kyiv to say the “path of diplomacy” remains open if Moscow really does want a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
Nato’s defence ministers, meeting in Brussels, were joined by counterparts from Ukraine and Georgia to show support for the two states.
Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said: “There are signs from Moscow that diplomacy could continue but so far we have not seen any sign of withdrawal or de-escalation.”
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