The Pentagon is working on a plan to provide Ukraine with battlefield intelligence that could help the country more quickly respond to a possible Russian invasion, senior administration officials said.

The assistance, if approved by President Joe Biden, is sure to raise the ire of Russia, which has portrayed any U.S. military aid to Ukraine as provocative.

But as more than 100,000 Russian troops mass at the Ukrainian border, the Biden administration is seeking to project support for the former Soviet republic’s independence from Moscow and its territorial integrity. The United States and its allies have warned President Vladimir Putin of Russia that an invasion would bring both economic pain for his country, in the form of sanctions, and military losses.

Officials in the Biden administration have moved cautiously to avoid escalating the situation, even as they consider ways to better assist Ukraine and deter Russia.

A small Pentagon team recently visited Ukraine to evaluate the country’s air defense needs, John Kirby, the chief Pentagon spokesperson, said Monday. On Tuesday, Karen Donfried, the State Department’s top diplomat for Europe, told reporters that the United States would increase its military assistance to Ukraine if Russia invaded.

The United States has been supplying Ukraine with anti-tank guided missiles called Javelins since 2018; Biden authorized an additional Javelin delivery this fall as part of a $60 million military aid package.

The list of ideas being drawn up at the Pentagon, the State Department and the White House include redirecting to Ukraine helicopters and other military equipment once allocated for the Afghan military, officials said. The administration is also considering sending additional cyberwarfare experts to Ukraine. The United States and Britain have sent some experts to shore up defenses in case Putin launches a cyberstrike on Ukraine either in advance or instead of a ground invasion.

But the proposal at the Pentagon for “actionable” intelligence is potentially more significant, two U.S. officials said. The information would include images of whether Russian troops were moving to cross the border. Such information, if shared in time, could enable the Ukrainian military to head off an attack.

The Biden administration has recognized how important real-time awareness is for the survival of Ukraine’s government. U.S. intelligence agencies are already giving Kyiv access to more material than they had before the Russian military buildup, said a person briefed on the administration’s actions. The person and U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the plans.

“The number one thing we can do is real-time actionable intelligence that says, ‘The Russians are coming over the berm,’” said Evelyn Farkas, who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia in the Obama administration. “We tell them, and they use that to target the Russians.”

She said that “we’ve been nervous about that in the past.”

One potential problem with providing actionable intelligence, U.S. officials acknowledge, is that it could lead Ukraine to strike first — the sort of scenario Western officials believe Putin has been trying to sell to the Russian public.

This past summer, Putin argued in an article that Russians and Ukrainians were one people and said that the formation of a Ukrainian state hostile to Moscow was comparable “in its consequences to the use of weapons of mass destruction against us.”

He has continuously painted the Ukrainian government as the aggressor, backed by the West. But if Russian tanks are moving over the border, and Ukraine targets them, it will be hard for Putin to make that argument. Russian disinformation campaigns have attacked the Ukrainian government and accused President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of creating a humanitarian crisis in the country’s east, where Ukrainian government forces have been battling Russian-led separatists for years, Western officials said.

Last Friday, Putin codified what he has long been saying to American and European officials in meetings, demanding that the United States and its allies halt all military activity in Eastern Europe and Central Asia in a Cold War-like security arrangement. That the demand came when Russian troops were at Ukraine’s border explicitly linked the deployment to a possible invasion, U.S. officials said.

U.S. and NATO officials privately dismissed the main demands of the Russian proposal, which came in the form of a draft treaty suggesting that NATO should offer written guarantees that it would not expand farther east toward Russia and halt all military activities in the former Soviet republics.

But the United States also set up talks with Moscow, for January, during which officials said they would tackle the range of complaints detailed by Russia. On Wednesday, Gen. Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with his Russian counterpart, Gen. Valery Gerasimov. Ukraine has sought NATO membership for years — a move that would enrage Russia — but despite the delay, the United States has balked at taking Ukraine’s accession off the table.

For the Biden administration, the escalating situation on the border is demanding a balancing act. With Moscow spooked by the Ukrainian government’s perceived anti-Russia policy shift, Putin wants to put pressure on the government, while also exposing the limits of what the United States and Europe are willing to do for Ukraine, officials said.

The Biden administration, officials say, must strike the right note: by bolstering aid to the Ukrainian military to discourage an invasion but not to the point where Russia feels threatened and decides it must to act.

After Ukraine’s pro-Western revolution in 2014, “little green men” — soldiers without insignia — helped Moscow seize Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Ukraine has had the seven years since then to prepare for a fight, and Russian officials know any incursion will be met with stiff resistance.

If Putin launches an attack right after Orthodox Christmas in early January — which U.S. and allied intelligence officials believe is the earliest it would come — Russia would have more than two months while the ground is frozen and tanks can effectively move in Eastern Ukraine. Some intelligence officials believe the muds of late March in Ukraine could be the country’s best defense.

Whenever he chooses to cross the border, Putin will “have the likelihood of sudden loss of life, in significant enough numbers that they can’t be smuggled back to Russia under the cover of night,” Farkas said. “The Russians have been trying to sell any conflict as a reaction, but the Russian people do not want to fight their Ukrainian brothers and sisters. You can only fool them so long.”

Military experts say that the Russian army could quickly overwhelm the Ukrainian military, even one that is backed by the United States and its European allies. But a Ukrainian insurgency would most likely take hold, bogging down the Russian military for years.

“You need to have that in mind when you push the trigger to do something,” Gen. Micael Byden, supreme commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, said in an interview. “It won’t be over in weeks.”

The Pentagon is working on a plan to provide Ukraine with battlefield intelligence that could help the country more quickly respond to a possible Russian invasion, senior administration officials said.

The Pentagon is working on a plan to provide Ukraine with battlefield intelligence that could help the country more quickly respond to a possible Russian invasion, senior administration officials said. The assistance, if approved by President Joe Biden, is sure to raise the ire of Russia, which has portrayed any U.S. military aid to Ukraine as provocative. But as more than 100,000 Russian troops mass at the Ukrainian border, the Biden administration is seeking to project support for the former Soviet republic’s independence from Moscow and its territorial integrity. The United States and its allies have warned President Vladimir Putin of Russia that an invasion would bring both economic pain for his country, in the form of sanctions, and military losses. Officials in the Biden administration have moved cautiously to avoid escalating the situation, even as they consider ways to better assist Ukraine and deter Russia. A small Pentagon team recently visited Ukraine to evaluate the country’s air defense needs, John Kirby, the chief Pentagon spokesperson, said Monday. On Tuesday, Karen Donfried, the State Department’s top diplomat for Europe, told reporters that the United States would increase its military assistance to Ukraine if Russia invaded. The United States has been supplying Ukraine with anti-tank guided missiles called Javelins since 2018; Biden authorized an additional Javelin delivery this fall as part of a $60 million military aid package. The list of ideas being drawn up at the Pentagon, the State Department and the White House include redirecting to Ukraine helicopters and other military equipment once allocated for the Afghan military, officials said. The administration is also considering sending additional cyberwarfare experts to Ukraine. The United States and Britain have sent some experts to shore up defenses in case Putin launches a cyberstrike on Ukraine either in advance or instead of a ground invasion. But the proposal at the Pentagon for “actionable” intelligence is potentially more significant, two U.S. officials said. The information would include images of whether Russian troops were moving to cross the border. Such information, if shared in time, could enable the Ukrainian military to head off an attack. The Biden administration has recognized how important real-time awareness is for the survival of Ukraine’s government. U.S. intelligence agencies are already giving Kyiv access to more material than they had before the Russian military buildup, said a person briefed on the administration’s actions. The person and U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the plans. “The number one thing we can do is real-time actionable intelligence that says, ‘The Russians are coming over the berm,’” said Evelyn Farkas, who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia in the Obama administration. “We tell them, and they use that to target the Russians.” She said that “we’ve been nervous about that in the past.” One potential problem with providing actionable intelligence, U.S. officials acknowledge, is that it could lead Ukraine to strike first — the sort of scenario Western officials believe Putin has been trying to sell to the Russian public. This past summer, Putin argued in an article that Russians and Ukrainians were one people and said that the formation of a Ukrainian state hostile to Moscow was comparable “in its consequences to the use of weapons of mass destruction against us.” He has continuously painted the Ukrainian government as the aggressor, backed by the West. But if Russian tanks are moving over the border, and Ukraine targets them, it will be hard for Putin to make that argument. Russian disinformation campaigns have attacked the Ukrainian government and accused President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of creating a humanitarian crisis in the country’s east, where Ukrainian government forces have been battling Russian-led separatists for years, Western officials said. Last Friday, Putin codified what he has long been saying to American and European officials in meetings, demanding that the United States and its allies halt all military activity in Eastern Europe and Central Asia in a Cold War-like security arrangement. That the demand came when Russian troops were at Ukraine’s border explicitly linked the deployment to a possible invasion, U.S. officials said. U.S. and NATO officials privately dismissed the main demands of the Russian proposal, which came in the form of a draft treaty suggesting that NATO should offer written guarantees that it would not expand farther east toward Russia and halt all military activities in the former Soviet republics. But the United States also set up talks with Moscow, for January, during which officials said they would tackle the range of complaints detailed by Russia. On Wednesday, Gen. Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with his Russian counterpart, Gen. Valery Gerasimov. Ukraine has sought NATO membership for years — a move that would enrage Russia — but despite the delay, the United States has balked at taking Ukraine’s accession off the table. For the Biden administration, the escalating situation on the border is demanding a balancing act. With Moscow spooked by the Ukrainian government’s perceived anti-Russia policy shift, Putin wants to put pressure on the government, while also exposing the limits of what the United States and Europe are willing to do for Ukraine, officials said. The Biden administration, officials say, must strike the right note: by bolstering aid to the Ukrainian military to discourage an invasion but not to the point where Russia feels threatened and decides it must to act. After Ukraine’s pro-Western revolution in 2014, “little green men” — soldiers without insignia — helped Moscow seize Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Ukraine has had the seven years since then to prepare for a fight, and Russian officials know any incursion will be met with stiff resistance. If Putin launches an attack right after Orthodox Christmas in early January — which U.S. and allied intelligence officials believe is the earliest it would come — Russia would have more than two months while the ground is frozen and tanks can effectively move in Eastern Ukraine. Some intelligence officials believe the muds of late March in Ukraine could be the country’s best defense. Whenever he chooses to cross the border, Putin will “have the likelihood of sudden loss of life, in significant enough numbers that they can’t be smuggled back to Russia under the cover of night,” Farkas said. “The Russians have been trying to sell any conflict as a reaction, but the Russian people do not want to fight their Ukrainian brothers and sisters. You can only fool them so long.” Military experts say that the Russian army could quickly overwhelm the Ukrainian military, even one that is backed by the United States and its European allies. But a Ukrainian insurgency would most likely take hold, bogging down the Russian military for years. “You need to have that in mind when you push the trigger to do something,” Gen. Micael Byden, supreme commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, said in an interview. “It won’t be over in weeks.”

US considers warning Ukraine of a Russian invasion in real-time

Amid tensions with Ukraine at the border, deputy foreign minister Sergey Ryabkov said that Russia is not afraid of any state, including the United States.

Russia's TASS news agency quoted Russia's deputy foreign minister as saying that, "We are not afraid of anyone, even the US."

Ryabkov added that the US had promised a response over Russia's security guarantee document next week. In the document, Putin's regime had demanded NATO should not expand its influence to Russia's eastern frontier&nbsp;referring to Ukraine.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/russias-checkmate-why-the-orion-combat-drone-is-a-gamechanger-446455">Also Read in Pics |&nbsp;Russia's 'checkmate': Why the Orion combat drone is a gamechanger</a>

Meanwhile,&nbsp;the US said it will conduct NATO naval exercises in the Mediterranean from Monday which would include the aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman amid tensions with Russia.

"Neptune strike 22 is going to run through February 4 and it's designed to demonstrate NATO's ability to integrate the high-end maritime strike capabilities of an aircraft carrier strike group to support the deterrence and defence of the alliance,” said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.&nbsp;Russia will also be conducting naval excercise in the Mediterranean

Watch:&nbsp;Will Russia go to war?

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-ukraine-crisis-will-russia-go-to-war-446578/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

On Friday&nbsp;US secretary of state Antony Blinken had met Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in an attempt to de-escalate the Ukraine crisis as both leaders agreed to keep talking.

Blinken sought to address "mutual concerns" about security as the US secretary of state asserted if Russia chose the path to conflict it would lead to "severe consequences and international condemnation".

Blinken said he told Russia said that if its forces invaded Ukraine then it would be met with "swift, severe and a united response from the United States and its allies".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/satellite-photos-show-russian-troops-deployed-near-ukraine-border-446072">Also Read in Pics |&nbsp;Satellite photos show Russian troops deployed near Ukraine border</a>

Russia however insisted that it awaits the US response to the security guarantee. Lavrov added that this is "not the end of our dialogue".&nbsp;

"I can't tell you if we're on the right track or the wrong track. We'll understand this when we receive the American response on paper to all the points in our proposal," Lavrov said.

Amid talks between the top diplomats, Russian troops conducted military drills in the Voronezh region on the border with Ukraine.

(With inputs from Agencies)

Amid tensions with Ukraine at the border, deputy foreign minister Sergey Ryabkov said that Russia is not afraid of any state, including the United States. Russia's TASS news agency quoted Russia's deputy foreign minister as saying that, "We are not afraid of anyone, even the US.

Amid tensions with Ukraine at the border, deputy foreign minister Sergey Ryabkov said that Russia is not afraid of any state, including the United States. Russia's TASS news agency quoted Russia's deputy foreign minister as saying that, "We are not afraid of anyone, even the US." Ryabkov added that the US had promised a response over Russia's security guarantee document next week. In the document, Putin's regime had demanded NATO should not expand its influence to Russia's eastern frontier referring to Ukraine. Also Read in Pics | Russia's 'checkmate': Why the Orion combat drone is a gamechanger Meanwhile, the US said it will conduct NATO naval exercises in the Mediterranean from Monday which would include the aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman amid tensions with Russia. "Neptune strike 22 is going to run through February 4 and it's designed to demonstrate NATO's ability to integrate the high-end maritime strike capabilities of an aircraft carrier strike group to support the deterrence and defence of the alliance,” said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby. Russia will also be conducting naval excercise in the Mediterranean Watch: Will Russia go to war? On Friday US secretary of state Antony Blinken had met Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in an attempt to de-escalate the Ukraine crisis as both leaders agreed to keep talking. Blinken sought to address "mutual concerns" about security as the US secretary of state asserted if Russia chose the path to conflict it would lead to "severe consequences and international condemnation". Blinken said he told Russia said that if its forces invaded Ukraine then it would be met with "swift, severe and a united response from the United States and its allies". Also Read in Pics | Satellite photos show Russian troops deployed near Ukraine border Russia however insisted that it awaits the US response to the security guarantee. Lavrov added that this is "not the end of our dialogue". "I can't tell you if we're on the right track or the wrong track. We'll understand this when we receive the American response on paper to all the points in our proposal," Lavrov said. Amid talks between the top diplomats, Russian troops conducted military drills in the Voronezh region on the border with Ukraine. (With inputs from Agencies)

NATO to conduct naval exercise in Mediterranean amid tensions with Russia

Russia submitted a draft document on legal security guarantees to the Biden administration to "ensure the security of the Russian Federation and member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)."

The Russian foreign ministry said it "provided detailed explanations regarding the logic of the Russian approach."

The eight-point draft treat is Putin's "red line" to the West amid tensions with over Ukraine. It covers several contentious points. Here is a closer look.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/what-will-happen-if-russian-troops-invade-ukraine-431684">Also Read in Pics: What will happen if Russian troops invade Ukraine?</a>

Draft treaty between US and Russian Federation on security guarantees:

Article 4 of the draft says, "United States of America shall undertake to prevent further eastward expansion of North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) and deny accession to the alliance to the states of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics."&nbsp;

This has been Putin's key demand ever since tensions escalated with Ukraine over the border.&nbsp;

"The United States of America shall not establish military bases in the territory of the states of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics," it said, adding, "use their infrastructure for any military activities or develop bilateral military cooperation with them."

Further, Article 5 states "parties shall refrain from deploying their armed forces and armaments in the areas where such deployment could be perceived as a threat."

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Russia also does not want the US to deploy "heavy bombers" equipped with&nbsp;nuclear or non-nuclear armaments or deploy surface warships.

Article 6 states both "parties shall undertake not to deploy ground-launched intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles outside their national territories."

In Article 7, the Russian proposal states that parties&nbsp;"shall refrain from deploying nuclear weapons outside their national territories and return such weapons already deployed outside their national territories at the time of the entry into force of the Treaty to their national territories."

It also states that both parties "shall not train military and civilian personnel from non-nuclear countries to use nuclear weapons." It also seeks to bar military exercises and training including "scenarios involving the use of nuclear weapons."

What does the US want?

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, "There will be no talks on European security without our European allies and partners" indicating Ukraine and other NATO partners would be consulted before an official reaction can be put out.

Psaki said there can be no compromises on the principles of European security even as the Russian foreign ministry said it is ready to hold talks.

Psaki asserted that the US has been engaging with Russia for decades&nbsp;however the Biden administration has to adhere to its partnership with European allies. &nbsp;

(With inputs from Agencies)

Russia submitted a draft document on legal security guarantees to the Biden administration to "ensure the security of the Russian Federation and member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

Russia submitted a draft document on legal security guarantees to the Biden administration to "ensure the security of the Russian Federation and member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)." The Russian foreign ministry said it "provided detailed explanations regarding the logic of the Russian approach." The eight-point draft treat is Putin's "red line" to the West amid tensions with over Ukraine. It covers several contentious points. Here is a closer look. Also Read in Pics: What will happen if Russian troops invade Ukraine? Draft treaty between US and Russian Federation on security guarantees: Article 4 of the draft says, "United States of America shall undertake to prevent further eastward expansion of North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) and deny accession to the alliance to the states of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics." This has been Putin's key demand ever since tensions escalated with Ukraine over the border. "The United States of America shall not establish military bases in the territory of the states of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics," it said, adding, "use their infrastructure for any military activities or develop bilateral military cooperation with them." Further, Article 5 states "parties shall refrain from deploying their armed forces and armaments in the areas where such deployment could be perceived as a threat." Also Read in Pics: Rebel-held regions of eastern Ukraine are growing closer to Russia Russia also does not want the US to deploy "heavy bombers" equipped with nuclear or non-nuclear armaments or deploy surface warships. Article 6 states both "parties shall undertake not to deploy ground-launched intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles outside their national territories." In Article 7, the Russian proposal states that parties "shall refrain from deploying nuclear weapons outside their national territories and return such weapons already deployed outside their national territories at the time of the entry into force of the Treaty to their national territories." It also states that both parties "shall not train military and civilian personnel from non-nuclear countries to use nuclear weapons." It also seeks to bar military exercises and training including "scenarios involving the use of nuclear weapons." What does the US want? White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, "There will be no talks on European security without our European allies and partners" indicating Ukraine and other NATO partners would be consulted before an official reaction can be put out. Psaki said there can be no compromises on the principles of European security even as the Russian foreign ministry said it is ready to hold talks. Psaki asserted that the US has been engaging with Russia for decades however the Biden administration has to adhere to its partnership with European allies. (With inputs from Agencies)

Explainer: Putin's red line-What is Russia's draft treaty on security guarantees?