The “feeds an illusion of solving the conflict by force,” Mr Lavrov said.

He added: “[Nato’s] military infrastructure is being brought irresponsibly close to Russia’s border, and anti-missile defence systems have been deployed to Romania and Poland that can be used for an attack.

“The nightmare scenario of military confrontation is returning to the European continent.”

Earlier on Thursday, Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, said that Kyiv was planning to use “all means at its disposal, including military ones, to reclaim a Russian region,” referring to the occupied Crimean peninsula.

Talks between foreign ministers, including Liz Truss, on the sidelines of the OSCE meeting, brought little practical progress on the crisis.

During a meeting with Mr Lavrov, Ms Truss “expressed concern about rising tensions across Europe, and re-stated the UK’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, urging the Russian government to de-escalate the situation,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meanwhile warned Mr Lavrov that “if Russia decides to pursue confrontation, there will be serious consequences,” adding that “the best way to avert a crisis is through diplomacy.”