Ukraine crisis: Don't create panic, Ukraine tells West

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the West not to create "panic" amid the build-up of Russian troops on his country's borders.

He told reporters that warnings of an imminent invasion by Russia were putting Ukraine's economy at risk.

On Thursday US President Joe Biden said he believed Russia could attack its neighbour next month.

Earlier Russian President Putin accused the West of ignoring Russia's security concerns.

The US has rejected a key Moscow demand that Nato rule out Ukraine joining the defence alliance - but insisted it was offering Russia a "diplomatic path".

Russia has about 100,000 troops on Ukraine's borders but denies it is planning an attack.

At a press conference in Kyiv, Mr Zelensky said he did not see a greater threat now than during a similar massing of Russian troops last spring.

"There are signals even from respected leaders of states, they just say that tomorrow there will be war. This is panic - how much does it cost for our state?" he said.

Mr Zelensky also criticised the UK, US and Australian withdrawal of diplomats' families from Ukraine, saying it had been a mistake.

The biggest threat to Ukraine was, he said, "the destabilisation of the situation inside the country".

The Ukrainian leader's intervention follows a call between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart.

In his first comments since the US provided a written response to a raft of Russian security demands, Mr Putin said the West had not addressed Moscow's concerns.

But he said he would study the US response before deciding what to do, according to a Kremlin readout.

France said the two leaders had agreed on the need to de-escalate and Mr Macron had told Mr Putin that Russia must respect the sovereignty of its neighbouring states.

Meanwhile the head of Germany's foreign intelligence service said Russia was prepared to attack Ukraine, but had not yet decided whether to do so.

"I believe that the decision to attack has not yet been made," Bruno Kahl told Reuters.

And Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance was ready to increase its presence in eastern Europe to demonstrate its resolve.

Mr Stoltenberg said Russia was deploying thousands of combat-ready troops and missile systems into Belarus, which also borders Ukraine.

Russia last month made wide-ranging security demands from the West, including that:

The US and Nato responded by saying Ukraine had the right to choose its own allies but offered Russia talks on missile placements and other issues.

If Russia were to invade Ukraine, it would not be the first time.