He said there has been no further escalation with Russia at the moment and is asking allies to dial down talk of war.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country has massed tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine's border, accused NATO and the US of ignoring Russia's security concerns. NATO says it's prepared to put more troops in eastern Europe – after Washington warned Ukraine to be on alert for an invasion. 

With the world's attention focused on Ukraine, Germany and its ties with Russia are also in the spotlight.