"Whatever this means, Kiev should not rely too much on the United States in the event that Ukraine starts a military operation against Donbass," Pushkov wrote on Telegram.

The assurances could mean anything from new sanctions to arms supplies, he said.

“But not direct US military intervention on the side of Ukraine, which would be complete madness,” Pushkov added.

As previously reported, Ukrainian intelligence fears that Russia may allegedly plan to "move troops deep into the territory of Ukraine."