Russia refuses Ukraine's call for a meeting as Germany's Olaf Scholz travels to Kyiv and Moscow for talks

Russia has rejected an urgent meeting request from Ukraine and other European States to discuss the military build-up on the Russia/Ukraine border.

Key points: Kyiv says the meeting to discuss the build-up of Russian troops will occur in 48 hours

Kyiv says the meeting to discuss the build-up of Russian troops will occur in 48 hours A Kremlin spokesman says relations with the United States are "lying on the floor"

A Kremlin spokesman says relations with the United States are "lying on the floor" Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz is demanding an immediate de-escalation from Russia

Russian state-owned domestic news agency RIA reported Russian diplomat Konstantic Gavrilov as saying Moscow would not be attending.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Facebook late on Sunday that Russia had ignored Kyiv's formal request for an explanation about why Moscow had positioned more than 130,000 troops and advanced weapons near the border.

"Ukraine is convening a meeting with Russia and all member states in the next 48 hours to discuss the reinforcement and movement of Russian forces along our border," he wrote.

The 1990 Vienna Document requires the 57 members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to share information about their military forces and notify each other about major activities.

On Sunday, the United States said Russia could invade Ukraine at any time and might create a surprise pretext for an attack, as it reaffirmed a pledge to defend "every inch" of NATO territory.

The US updated its estimate for how many Russian forces are now staged near Ukraine's borders to more than 130,000, up from the 100,000 the US has cited publicly in previous weeks.

Russia has repeatedly denied any plans to invade and has accused the West of "hysteria".

US-Russia relations 'lying on the floor'

Despite a recent uptick in bilateral dialogue, relations between Moscow and Washington are "lying on the floor", the Kremlin told Russia's RIA news agency.

The United States says 130,000 Russian troops have amassed near Ukraine's borders. ( Reuters: Satellite/Maxar Technologies )

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there were certain channels for dialogue, one positive being that President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Joe Biden, have been in contact — the two spoke by phone on Saturday — but that ties in other areas were strained.

"The heads of state are in dialogue. There is dialogue on other fronts," RIA cited Mr Peskov as saying in an interview.

"This is a plus because, you know, that just a couple of years ago there was zero dialogue. There were no such contacts whatsoever.

"But, on the rest, unfortunately, in bilateral relations one can only talk about negatives. We are at a very, very low point. They are actually lying on the floor."

Russia is engaged in major joint military drills with Belarus, Ukraine's northern neighbour.

Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet crews conducted a joint patrol flight along the border between Russia and Belarus on Monday, Russia's defence ministry said.

Russia will also send a detachment of ships armed with cruise and supersonic missiles from its Caspian Flotilla to the Black and Mediterranean Seas, the Izvestia daily cited military sources as saying.

More than 30 transport and attack helicopters are engaged in tactical exercises in southern Russia, the military said on Monday.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 5 minutes 50 seconds 5 m Stan Grant's analysis of the Russian build-up on Ukraine's borders

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Ukraine on Monday, part of a flurry of Western diplomacy aimed at heading off a feared Russian invasion that, some war,n could be just days away.

Mr Scholz plans to continue on to Moscow, where he will try to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to back down.

He pressed Russia on Monday to dial down pressure on Ukraine, warning that "any further military aggression" would have heavy consequences for Moscow.

"From Moscow, we are demanding immediate signs of de-escalation," Mr Scholz wrote on Twitter, just as he embarked on a trip to Kyiv.

Ukraine's Ambassador to Britain clarifies NATO comments

On Monday, Ukraine's ambassador to Britain clarified earlier remarks about possibly dropping a bid for NATO membership.

Ukraine's Ambassador in Britain clarified reported comments that his country could drop its bid for NATO membership. ( AP: Pavlo Palamarchuk )

Ambassador to Britain Vadym Prystaiko was quoted by the BBC as saying Ukraine was willing to be "flexible" over its goal to join the Atlantic military alliance.

Asked whether or not Ukraine might reconsider its ambitions to join NATO, Ambassador Vadym Prystaiko told the BBC in English: "No, this is not and I am quite happy that I have this chance to clarify my position."

Mr Prystaiko said the earlier BBC report was the result of a misunderstanding.

"We are not a member of NATO right now and to avoid war we are ready for many concessions and that is what we are doing in conversations with the Russians," Mr Prystaiko said.

"It has nothing to do with NATO, which is enshrined in the constitution."

"It is not a delay to our ambitions to be in NATO. What we are talking about is that we are not in the family now, so we have to look for something else like bilateral agreements with the UK, with the United States," he said.

"So, on top of NATO, we are looking for some other arrangements which would allow us to survive this particular ordeal right now."

Asked, again, if Ukraine was shifting its bid to become a NATO member, he said: "No."

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 3 minutes 5 seconds 3 m 5 s Ukraine Campaign: By the numbers