Russia says Ukraine and NATO are continuing military preparations

MOSCOW: Russia's foreign ministry said on Wednesday Ukraine and NATO were continuing military preparations, and called on them to refrain from actions that could lead to escalation, the RIA news agency reported.

On Tuesday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy challenged his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to meet him in the Donbass region for talks to end the conflict there and ease tension between the neighbours.