The European Union said on Friday that it was alarmed by Russian military activities close to Ukraine's border, after Washington demanded an explanation from Moscow.

"We continue to watch the situation and the information we gathered so far is rather worrying," EU foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano told journalists.

He said the 27-nation bloc was monitoring the situation with partners including the United States and Britain and "we are open to look at further steps as necessary".

US top diplomat Antony Blinken on Wednesday warned Russia against making another "serious mistake" on Ukraine as Washington sought clarity about troop movements near the border.

Welcoming Ukraine's foreign minister to Washington, Secretary of State Blinken said that the US was "concerned with reports of the unusual Russian activity near Ukraine".

"We don't have clarity into Moscow's intentions, but we do know its playbook," Blinken told a joint news conference.

"Our concern is that Russia may make the serious mistake of attempting to rehash what it undertook back in 2014 when it amassed forces along the border, crossed into sovereign Ukrainian territory and did so claiming falsely that it was provoked," he said.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the Russian movement was "unusual in its size and scope".

"It's not exactly clear what the Russian intentions are," he said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted on Friday that Russia "does not pose a threat to anyone" and accused NATO countries of increasing "provocative actions".

"We mind our own affairs and take measures to ensure our security if necessary, if there are provocative actions of our opponents near our borders," Peskov said.

Ukraine has been ensnared in a war with Moscow-backed separatists in its east since 2014 when Russia seized the Crimea peninsula.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen discussed the situation around Ukraine with US President Joe Biden during a visit to Washington this week.

"The EU and the US fully support the territorial integrity of Ukraine," von der Leyen tweeted after the meeting.

"And we are fully behind them in their efforts to modernise their economy and build up resilience."

An official at NATO said the alliance "is vigilant and routinely monitors Russian force movements. It's important to ensure transparency and avoid any miscalculation."

Ukraine's foreign minister is set to hold talks with NATO head Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Monday.

Belarus will 'respond harshly' to attacks: defence chief
Moscow (AFP) Nov 12, 2021 - Belarusian Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin warned Friday of a harsh military response to any attacks following a migrant crisis on the border with EU member Poland.

In an effort to tackle a migrant crisis on the border with Belarus, Poland has moved 15,000 troops to the frontier, put up a fence topped with barbed wire and approved the construction of a wall.

Khrenin said it appeared that Poland wanted to drag Europe into a full-blown military conflict with Belarus and that the build-up of foreign troops on the Belarusian border was "in no way connected" with the migrant crisis.

"The Belarusian armed forces are ready to respond harshly to any attacks," Khrenin said in a video address. "The language of ultimatums, threats and blackmail is unacceptable."

"We'd like to warn hotheads against overestimating their capabilities," he said, stressing that Belarus' ally Russia was ready to help ensure the country's security.

Hundreds of migrants, mainly Kurds from the Middle East, have been stuck for days on the Belarus-Poland border in near-freezing temperatures, with the World Health Organization saying it was "very concerned" about their plight.

Poland is refusing to allow them to cross, with the West accusing Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko of bringing them into the country to send over the border in revenge for sanctions.

In a show of support for Minsk, Russia has sent strategic bombers to patrol over Belarus this week and on Friday the two countries said a joint battalion of paratroopers was holding snap drills near the Polish border.

Iraq to repatriate citizens 'who volunteer' from Belarus
Baghdad (AFP) Nov 12, 2021 - Iraq said on Friday it was drawing up lists of those among the hundreds of Iraqis blocked on the border between Belarus and Poland who wish to be repatriated voluntarily.

"We are ready to organise more than one trip to provide an urgent response to anyone wanting to come home voluntarily," foreign ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Sahaf said.

Hundreds of migrants and asylum-seekers, many of them Kurds from Iraq, have been stuck for days on the Belarus-Poland border in near-freezing temperatures, with the Word Health Organization saying on Friday it was "very concerned" about their plight.

Poland is refusing to allow them to cross, with the West accusing Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko of bringing them into the country to send over the border in revenge for sanctions.

Iraq has sent diplomats from Moscow and Warsaw to the border to "check on (the migrants') safety and communicate with the relevant authorities," Sahaf said.

The Belarusian diplomatic missions in Baghdad and in the Kurdistan regional capital Arbil, which had been providing Iraqis with tourist visas, were "temporarily closed" last week, he added.

Iraqi Airways indefinitely suspended its service between Baghdad and Minsk in August, airline spokesman Hussein Jalil said.

"But we have received authorisation to operate one-way flights between Minsk and Baghdad for Iraqis blocked" in Belarus, he added.

In recent weeks, would-be migrants have been forced to fly through third countries, usually Turkey, to reach Belarus.

But on Friday, Turkey banned citizens of Syria, Iraq and Yemen from flying from Turkish airports to Belarus because of the refugee crisis at the former Soviet country's border with Poland.

European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas is to travel to Baghdad Monday for talks on the crisis.

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Biden, Xi expected to hold virtual summit on Monday: US media
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