The Kremlin warned that tank deliveries would be a dangerous escalation of the conflict in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the top U.S. military officer travels to the Ukraine-Poland border to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart for the first time.

The meeting comes as the international community ramps up the military assistance to Ukraine, including expanded training of Ukrainian troops by the U.S.

As Russian troops wage a ferocious fight for control of strongholds in eastern Ukraine, a parallel battle is unfolding in the top echelons of military power in Moscow.

After Ukrainian forces recaptured the southern city of Kherson in November, the battle heated up around the city of Bakhmut, and Russia is hungry to show a victory somewhere.

Moscow has targeted Ukrainian power facilities and other key infrastructure in a bid to weaken the country’s resolve and force it to negotiate on Russian terms.