KYIV, Nov 25 Reuters -- Ukraine's foreign minister warned Russia on Thursday that an attack on his country would cause political, economic and human losses and would be too costly.
Russia has been building up forces near its border with Ukraine, and Kyiv, the United States and NATO have expressed concerns about a possible Russian attack, a suggestion that the Kremlin has dismissed as false.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told a televised briefing that we are not trying to guess what is in Russian President Vladimir Putin's head.
We are working to give him a clear understanding that a new attack on Ukraine will be too costly, so it is better not to do it. He said that Kyiv's main goal was to restrain Russia from further aggressive actions. However, he said Moscow must understand what political, economic and human losses it will incur in the event of a new stage of aggression.
The head of Ukraine's military intelligence told the Military Times this weekend that Russia had more than 92,000 troops in its possession around Ukraine's borders and was preparing for an attack by the end of January or beginning of February.
Ukraine, which wants to join the NATO military alliance, received a large amount of U.S. ammunition and Javelin missiles earlier this year, prompting criticism from Moscow.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian navy received two refitted former U.S. Coast Guard patrol boats as part of a $2.5 billion package of assistance to Ukraine, and Kuleba said Ukraine could receive one more of the vessels.
In 2014 Ukraine's ties with Russia collapsed after Moscow supported separatists who rose up in eastern Ukraine and took control of territory that Kyiv wants back. Some 14,000 people have been killed in fighting since then, according to Kyiv.
Russia hasn't turned its back on talks with France, Germany and Ukraine about how to implement a peace deal over eastern Ukraine, said Maria Zakharova, a foreign ministry spokeswoman.