Russia's ambassador in Washington has dismissed Western fears that Russian soldiers could soon invade Ukraine.

"There is no invasion, and there are no such plans," Anatoly Antonov told US broadcaster CBS on Sunday.

Russia wants to continue diplomatic efforts to resolve all outstanding issues.

Regarding Moscow's demands on the West, he said: "We would like to put everything on paper.

We want to see legally binding guarantees for Russian security.” According to Antonov, NATO is not a “peace-loving NGO”.

"We don't want the next wave of NATO expansion to happen," he said, referring to Ukraine's aspirations to join the military alliance.

"Well, unfortunately, we expect everything," Ukrainian ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova told the broadcaster.

"We will work day and night to use every opportunity to prevent Russia from invading." However, contrary to what Ambassador Antonov said, the past few days have shown that Russia has been involved in provocations in the Donetsk regions and Luhansk started.

According to US information, Russia has gathered around 150,000 soldiers on the border with neighboring Ukraine, but denies any plans of attack.

In recent days, the situation has escalated, especially along the front line in south-eastern Ukraine between the Ukrainian army and the Moscow-backed separatists, who have controlled the Donetsk and Luhansk regions for years.

Russian soldiers are also staying in Belarus longer than previously announced - and thus not far from the border with Ukraine.

Ukrainian ambassador speaks of "failure of German foreign policy"

The Ukrainian ambassador in Germany, Andriy Melnyk, reiterated his demand for German arms deliveries in view of the fear of a Russian invasion.

"Today we don't just need words, not just expressions of solidarity, we need weapons for defense," Melnyk told the Bild TV station on Sunday.

"These weapons, which Germany could supply, are still being refused to us." Melnyk also appealed to the West to decide on the sanctions against Russia under discussion "before the shelling of Kiev takes place".

Should Germany continue to refuse and should Russian President Putin actually invade Ukraine in the next few days or weeks, this would constitute a "failure of German foreign policy" and a "declaration of bankruptcy".

"And Ukrainians will never forget this betrayal," the ambassador said.

At the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy complained that his country was being put off when it came to joining NATO.

In his speech he said that NATO always talks about its "open door".

But what Ukraine needs are open and honest answers.

Literally, he said: "We need honest answers." And he also said clearly that his country does not want to be "the buffer between Russia and the West" forever.

The federal government had recently reiterated its negative stance on arms deliveries to Ukraine.

It is not the moment to "change our course by 180 degrees," said Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) on Friday at the Munich Security Conference.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) also emphasized that he currently sees “no reason” to change the arms export regulations.

"Now would be exactly the wrong time," he said after Friday's EU-Africa summit in Brussels.