MOSCOW, February 11. /TASS/. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu proposed to the West to contribute to alleviating tensions in Europe and halt the arms supplies to Ukraine.

"For our part, we would also like to propose to contribute to reducing this tension and stopping pumping Ukraine with weapons. It is coming from all sides, it is being done publicly. It is being done in a demonstrative manner. It's not entirely clear why. I would also like to understand why Britain, [the United] Kingdom, sent its special forces to Ukraine, and for how long they will be there?" Shoigu said at a meeting with British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace in Moscow on Friday.

Prior to his trip Wallace expressed his opinion that the situation near Ukraine’s borders is escalating, and added that Russia concentrated a significant number of troops near its borders with Ukraine.

The West and Kiev have recently been echoing allegations about Russia’s potential invasion of Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these claims as "empty and unfounded", serving as a ploy to escalate tensions, pointing out that Russia did not pose any threat whatsoever to anyone. However, Peskov did not rule out the possibility of provocations aimed at justifying such claims and warned that attempts to use military force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine would have serious consequences.