More than 100,000 Russian troops on border

BRUSSELS: More than 100,000 Russian troops have massed on Ukraine’s border and in annexed Crimea, the office of the European Union’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said after EU foreign ministers were briefed by Ukraine’s foreign minister.

In a press conference yesterday, Borrell had originally spoken of more than 150,000 troops, declining to give a source.

His office later corrected the number to more than 100,000 troops without giving a reason for the change.

Borrell said no new sanctions or expulsions of Russian diplomats were planned for the time being, despite saying that the military buildup on Ukraine’s borders was the largest ever.

In Washington, the Pentagon said the Russian military buildup was larger than that in 2014 and it was not clear that it was for training purposes.

A United States official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Russian buildup numbered in the tens of thousands, but he was not aware of intelligence that pointed to more than 150,000 Russian troops.

The US also expressed its ‘‘deep concern’’ over Russia’s plans to block foreign naval ships and other vessels in parts of the Black Sea, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

‘‘This represents yet another unprovoked escalation in Moscow’s ongoing campaign to undermine and destabilise Ukraine,’’ Price said.

Russia has restricted the movement of foreign warships and what it called ‘‘other state ships’’ near Crimea.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister

Dmytro Kuleba had yesterday called on the EU to impose new sanctions on Russia.

Tensions between Moscow and Kiev have been rising amid the buildup and clashes in eastern Ukraine between the army and proRussian separatists.

The US Federal Aviation Administration yesterday urged airlines to exercise ‘‘extreme caution’’ near the UkraineRussian border, citing potential flight safety risks. — Reuters