Israel has asked Russia to help evacuate Israeli citizens from Ukraine in the event that Russia invades the country, Axios reported on Thursday morning.
According to the report, a conversation was held between Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General Alon Ushpiz and Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov.
Russia has been stepping up troops on the Ukrainian border in recent days and has amassed close to 100,000, according to media reports. Russia said earlier in the week that it was withdrawing its soldiers, but senior U.S. officials told the media that those claims were false.
“This is a military that … continues to grow stronger, continues to grow more ready. They’re exercising, so we believe that he [Russian President Vladimir Putin] has a lot of capabilities and options available to him should he want to use military force,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told MSNBC on Monday.