MOSCOW, February 11. /TASS/. The military and political situation on the European continent has deteriorated significantly over tension fueled around Ukraine, Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergey Shoigu said at a meeting with his UK counterpart Ben Wallace in Moscow, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Friday.

"The agenda included the most pressing issues of European security and interaction between the defense ministries of both countries. Army General S. K. Shoigu pointed out that the military and political situation in Europe had worsened considerably due to tension whipped up around Ukraine and NATO’s military presence near the Russian borders, which requires taking urgent measures to ensure security guarantees for the Russian Federation," Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement released after the meeting.

The West and Kiev have recently been spreading 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 allegations and warned that attempts to use military force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine would have very serious consequences.