Separately, plans for a “visible” European Union military training mission in Ukraine were at risk of being watered down on Thursday as some nations feared the move could escalate tensions with Russia.

Germany opposed sending an EU-badged mission to help Kyiv overhaul its Soviet-era academy for military officers because it could be perceived as an act of aggression by the Kremlin.

At a meeting of EU foreign ministers this week, the European External Action Service, the bloc’s foreign affairs arm, presented plans to deploy up to 35 advisers to Ukraine, in response to the threat of a Russian invasion.

While a majority of member states backed the proposals, Germany joined Italy, Spain and Greece in raising concerns over the possibility that they risked inflaming tensions. They spoke out in favour of sending financial aid to Kyiv instead.

Meanwhile, Russia’s military build-up near Ukraine continues. In a report this week, Janes, a global agency for open-source defence intelligence, pointed to fresh deployments to Russia’s western border, including missile systems shipped to Belarus and warships sent to the Mediterranean Sea.

Russia is expected to kick off its largest war games in years in Belarus in mid-February. On Thursday, a Belarusian deputy defence minister vowed that Russian troops would leave as soon as the drills are over, after fears among the population that they could become a permanent presence.