Image source, Getty Images

Ukraine’s defence minister has said that a Russian invasion of his country is unlikely to occur in the early part of this week, pushing back against Western claims that an incursion could be imminent.

Alexei Reznikov said an attack "tomorrow or the day after tomorrow" is unlikely as no Russian "strike groups" have been formed near the border.

“In general, it can take weeks to deploy a strike group - from a week to half a month, to a month. Therefore, it depends on what plan can work in the minds of Kremlin leaders,” he told Ukraine’s ICTV network.

"As of today, our intelligence observes no attack force units but it doesn’t mean that they cannot deploy them when they want because the risks are still in place.”

Reznikov added that Russia’s long-term goal was to change the political system in Ukraine, and said that Moscow’s forces are attempting to “provoke” Ukrainian troops into a “mistake” to justify an invasion.

Image source, Getty Images

US officials say they have intelligence reports suggesting that Russia has a hit-list of Ukrainians "to be killed or sent to camps" in the event of an invasion, US media has reported. , external

In a letter to UN Human Rights chief Michelle Bachelet, external, Washington's ambassador to the UN in Geneva claimed that Russia's post-invasion planning would involve torture, forced disappearances and “widespread human suffering.”

The ambassador alleged that targets would include Russian and Belarusian dissidents in exile in Ukraine, journalists and anti-corruption activists, and “vulnerable populations such as religious and ethnic minorities and LGBTQI+ persons”.

“Specifically, we have credible information that indicates Russian forces are creating lists of identified Ukrainians to be killed or sent to camps following a military occupation,” the letter said.

However, Crocker did not provide any details on the nature of the intelligence that gave rise to the assessment.

Hello and thank you for joining our live coverage of the Ukraine crisis. Here are the latest developments:

• US officials say President Joe Biden has agreed "in principle" to hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an attempt to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine.
• The talks proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron during a flurry of phone calls with the two leaders will only take place if Russia does not invade its neighbour, the White House said.
• Meanwhile, US officials said Russia appeared to be "continuing preparations for a full-scale assault on Ukraine very soon", and one intelligence officer told CNN that 75% of Russia’s conventional forces are now amassed on its western border.
• The US has written to the UN to warn that it has intelligence that Russia is compiling a list of Ukrainians to be "killed or detained" if it invades.
• In a letter seen by US media, the US warned of a "human rights catastrophe" if Russia occupies Ukraine.
• Earlier, Moscow announced the extension of military drills in Belarus, where Nato says 30,000 Russian troops are deployed. The drills had been due to end on Saturday.