China's tactic to support Russia on Ukraine deeply alarming, destabilizing, says US

Washington: The United States said Monday it does not believe Russian leader Vladimir Putin has made a "final decision" on whether to invade Ukraine but he "could move with little or no warning."

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby also told reporters that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin plans to leave for Europe Tuesday for crisis talks.

Austin will hold meetings at NATO headquarters in Brussels and visit Poland, where the United States plans to deploy 3,000 more troops, and Lithuania, he said.

Addressing a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kirby said "we still don't believe that some final decision has been made."

"Military action could happen any day," he added. "It is entirely possible that he could move with little to no warning."

State Department spokesman Ned Price said meanwhile that the United States has seen "no tangible sign of de-escalation" at the Russia-Ukraine border.

"We believe that diplomacy continues to be viable," Price said.

"We believe that there still remains a window to resolve this through dialogue and diplomacy," he told reporters.

Citing a "dramatic acceleration" in the buildup of Russian forces around Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday that the United States is relocating its embassy in Kyiv to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

In Lithuania, Austin will meet with Lithuanian leaders and jointly with the defense ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.