US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that Russia is trying to create a justification for launching a military attack on Ukraine, while Moscow renewed its denial of any attempt to invade Ukraine, and expelled Bart Gorman, the deputy head of the US mission in Moscow.
Blinken added that Moscow may stage a terrorist bombing on its territory, and points the finger at Kiev.
The State Department said Secretary Blinken will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov next week, on the condition that Russia does not invade Ukraine.
Blinken had said earlier yesterday that he had sent a letter to Lavrov proposing a meeting next week in Europe.
remote meeting
And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office revealed that US President Joe Biden will organize a remote meeting on the Ukrainian crisis today, Friday, with the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, Britain, the European Union and NATO.
On the other hand, European countries called on Moscow to take concrete steps to calm down and transparently disclose the nature of its military activities on the borders.
Britain's Secretary of State for Europe and North America, James Cleverley, said that if Russia chose to launch a military attack on Ukraine, using what he described as misinformation as a justification, it would reveal its lack of seriousness with diplomacy, as he put it.
For his part, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said that Ukraine refuses to implement the Minsk agreements and is trying to evade its obligations.
He added, during a special session of the Security Council to discuss the Ukraine-Russia crisis, that Kiev's politicians do not want a direct dialogue with representatives of Donetsk and Luhansk.
escalate tension
For its part, the Kremlin said that statements by US President Joe Biden about an imminent Russian attack on Ukraine escalate tension.
Biden has said that the risks of a possible Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory are very high, because Moscow has not withdrawn any of its forces on the border with Ukraine.
The US President also stressed that the path of diplomacy is still open for the Russians to find a solution to the Ukrainian crisis.
Biden stated that he has no intention of contacting his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the present time.
Russia presented its response to the security guarantees, and said that its insistence on withdrawing its forces from certain areas on its territory is unacceptable, and that the presence of Russian forces on its territory does not undermine American security, and that there are no Russian forces in Ukraine and they have no intention of invading it.
The Russian response also stated that emphasizing Russia's responsibility for the escalation over Ukraine is an attempt to pressure Moscow and downplay its security proposals.
The Russian response added that strict measures to control arms and reduce military risks are not possible without NATO abandoning its actions that threaten Russia's security.
These developments come in light of the US State Department's confirmation to Al Jazeera that Russia has expelled Bart Gorman, the deputy head of the US mission in Moscow.
The ministry added that the Russian move was unjustified and escalatory, and that Washington was considering a response to it.
The US State Department called on Moscow to stop expelling diplomats on flimsy grounds, as it described it.
She added that Washington urgently needed the appropriate diplomatic staff to facilitate communication with Moscow.
reciprocate
For her part, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the expulsion of the deputy US ambassador came within the framework of reciprocity, in response to the expulsion of an adviser at the Russian embassy in Washington.
Zakharova said that the US State Department had deliberately ignored Moscow's request to extend his stay until the arrival of a replacement.
According to the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, it was the US side that started the series of mutual expulsions last September, as it demanded the departure of 55 Russian diplomats, administrative and technical staff in two phases - before the end of June of this year.
In the context of Western military preparedness, NATO defense ministers have referred plans to deploy combat forces in Eastern Europe to military commanders.
At the conclusion of a meeting of NATO ministers in Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance is concerned that Russia is trying to create a pretext to invade Ukraine, commenting on reports of bombing across the ceasefire line in the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine.
Stoltenberg added that there is still no clarity or certainty about Russian intentions.
And US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that Washington had agreed with Bulgaria to host an American attack company that would move to it from Germany.
During a press conference at the conclusion of the meeting of defense ministers of NATO countries, Austin said that the nature of the deployment of Russian forces in the vicinity of Ukraine does not indicate that this is taking place without a military reason.
Austin promised that President Putin would bear personal responsibility if he decided to invade Ukraine.
The US Secretary of Defense expressed the NATO countries' keenness to resolve the crisis with Russia through diplomatic means while ensuring the sovereignty of Ukraine.