Diplomacy, prayers: Things to know about the Ukraine crisis

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Russia has placed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine's border and ratcheted up war games in the region.

Moscow denies it is planning an assault, but the United States and its NATO allies fear that Russia is planning for war — and are making preparations of their own.

Here are things to know Wednesday about the international tensions over Ukraine, a crisis reminiscent of the Cold War.

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RUSSIA'S WARNING

Russia increased its pressure on the West, warning that it would quickly take “retaliatory measures” if the U.S. and its allies reject its security demands and continue their “aggressive” policies.

Russia has demanded guarantees that NATO never admit Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations as members and that the alliance roll back troop deployments in other former Soviet bloc countries, a region Moscow still views as its sphere of interest.

Some of the demands, like the membership pledge, are nonstarters for NATO, creating a seemingly intractable stalemate that many fear can only end in a war.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he and other top officials will advise President Vladimir Putin on the next steps after receiving written replies from the United States to the demands. Those answers are expected this week — even though the U.S. and its allies have already made clear they will reject the top Russian demands.

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UKRAINE DOWNPLAYS THE RISKS

Ukrainian officials have sought to calm nerves as tensions escalate.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Wednesday that while the concentration of Russian troops near Ukraine poses a threat, “their number is now insufficient for a large-scale offensive.”

“They are still missing some key military elements and systems to mount a big,...