US mulls over weapon deployment in Ukraine amid rumours of potential Russian attack

US president Joe Biden's administration is considering a deployment of new equipment including weaponry and a group of military advisors in Ukraine amid escalated tensions of potential invasion by Moscow after Russian troops marked its presence in the Donbas region.

Shipments under the proposed lethal aid package could include transportation of US-made Javelin anti-tank missiles, anti-armour missiles and/or mortars, CNN said in an exclusive report citing its sources. Some air defence systems, such as stinger missiles and Mi-17 helicopters, that Defence department is pressing for, are also under consideration.

Meanwhile, some administration officials have raised concerns over sending stingers and helicopters as it could indicate a major escalation of the already existing crisis. Additionally, it is also unclear if the military thinktanks will be sent to Ukraine itself, CNN added.

Noting that deployment of additional assistance to Ukraine could "further heighten tensions" with Moscow, retired Lt. Col. Cedric Leighton told CNN that the Javelin anti-tank missiles are "quite effective" against the T-80 tanks positioned by Russians along the Ukrainian border.

The news comes after White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called on Moscow to "de-escalate tensions" in Ukrainian borders. "We’ve had extensive interactions with our European allies and partners in recent weeks, including with Ukraine," Psaki said.

"We’ve discussed our concerns about Russian military activities and harsh rhetoric towards Ukraine," she had said on Monday during a press briefing.

Russia calls US-media reports 'targeted information campaign'

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin scrapped a report of potential invasion into Ukrainian territory and called the US 'alarmist'. On Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov pointed out that Moscow has been subjected to 'targeted information campaign' by US-based media and this is fuelling tensions in the area.

"Kyiv itself is building up its forces, Kiev is being helped to build up its forces. Kyiv is supplied with a significant amount of weapons, including modern, high-tech weapons," Sputnik reported, quoting Peskov.

Meanwhile, the Russian foreign intelligence service, the SVR's head of press bureau Sergei Ivanov, has also pushed back on the US' warnings about potential attack, dubbing them 'absolutely false'. As per CNN, he referred to the US move of sharing intelligence with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and European Allies on the "unusual" movement of Moscow along Ukrainian's eastern flank.

(Image: AP)