Ukraine would like NATO to provide even stronger support in the conflict with Russia.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on the allies at a meeting in Riga on Wednesday to work together on a new deterrent package.

"If we unite and act in a coordinated manner, we are confident that we can stop President Putin from choosing the worst-case scenario, which is a military operation," he said.

The background to the Kuleba appeal is the knowledge of NATO and Ukraine that Russia has once again stationed unusually large contingents of combat-ready troops as well as heavy weapons and drones on the border with Ukraine. Ukraine now puts the number of Russian soldiers on the border at 115,000. The developments bring back bad memories of 2014. At that time, Russia had annexed the Crimean peninsula.

Ukraine wanted the new deterrent package to consist of three elements.

The first is to communicate clearly to Russia what the consequences of aggressive actions against Ukraine would be.

Second, there should be a package of economic sanctions that, in the worst case scenario, would be imposed on Russia, and thirdly, even stronger cooperation between NATO and Ukraine in the field of military and defense.

When asked whether his country is also expecting additional arms deliveries, Kuleba replied: “Russia wants Ukraine to remain weak.

Supporting Ukraine in strengthening its defense capabilities also means deterring Russia. "

Heiko Maas wants "serious consequences"

It is unlikely, however, that Ukraine’s wishes will be implemented 1: 1, as the NATO states disagree on the issue of sanctions threats, for example. The Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu said on the sidelines of the NATO deliberations: “We don't think that sanctions will solve the problems.” From Turkey's point of view, the right mix of deterrence and dialogue is needed. The Turkish head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan will speak to Putin and he himself has already spoken to his Russian and Ukrainian colleagues. The Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod, however, announced extensive support for Ukraine. "We on the Danish side are ready to get involved with tough sanctions and other instruments (...)," he said in the Latvian capital.

The acting German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) said on Tuesday that there was consensus that a violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine would have serious consequences - “political, but also certainly economic”.

The reasons for the massive deployment of troops are unclear.

Moscow claims that there is no danger from Russia and argues that troops can be moved on Russian territory at their own discretion.

On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin once again criticized the military presence of Western states near the Russian border.

"The Russian Federation is concerned," said the president of the Ria Novosti State Agency.

"All of this poses a threat to us."