The United Nations Security Council meets on Monday to discuss the Ukraine crisis, with Washington vowing to hold Moscow accountable for any further territorial incursions. The Biden administration continues to work with Nato allies on a range of sanctions in the event of a Russian invasion.
Fears of an invasion have grown in recent days, despite denials from Moscow and pleas from Ukraine's president to avoid any "panic" over the massive Russian military build-up on the border.
The United States and Britain on Sunday warned of new and "devastating" economic sanctions against Russia, as Washington and its allies step up efforts to deter any invasion of Ukraine.
In the face of the Russian build-up, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the West to tone down the rhetoric.
With tensions soaring, the United States said it was prepared to push back against any "disinformation" Moscow put forward in what is expected to be one of the most closely watched United Nations sessions in years.
Russia is expected to try to block the 15-member council from holding its US-requested meeting, "but the Security Council is unified. Our voices are unified in calling for the Russians to explain themselves," Washington's UN envoy Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.
'We must send a powerful message to Moscow'
The chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in the US Senate, meanwhile, took a tough stance, saying it was crucial Washington send a powerful message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that any aggression against Ukraine would come at a very high cost.
"We cannot have a Munich moment again," Senator Bob Menendez said on CNN. "Putin will not stop with Ukraine."
In London, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Britain would unveil sanctions legislation targeting "a much wider variety" of Russian economic targets.
"There will be nowhere to hide for Putin's oligarchs," Truss told Sky News.
Analysts say an array of sanctions hitting Russian banks and financial institutions would affect not only daily life throughout Russia but could also have a negative impact on major economies in Europe and elsewhere.
Carrots, sticks, troops and tanks
Western leaders are pursuing a two-pronged approach, stepping up military assistance to Ukraine while continuing diplomatic efforts to defuse the crisis.
Britain is preparing to offer Nato a "major" deployment of troops, weapons, warships and jets, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Saturday.
Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday welcomed the increased military support while also endorsing London's diplomatic initiative.
Canada on Sunday announced the temporary repatriation of all non-essential employees from its Kyiv embassy. And its defense minister, Anita Anand, said Canadian forces in Ukraine were protectively being moved west of the Dnieper river.
Relations between Russia and the West are at their lowest point since the Cold War.
