The White House says the US is closely watching Russia’s military activity along the Ukrainian border and warned Moscow against any "provocative" actions.

"We strongly support Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. We expect other nations to do the same. And so we are closely watching Russia’s military exercises along the Ukrainian border, which they announced yesterday. We expect Russia to be transparent about these activities and to avoid provocative actions. We urge them not to take any steps that could be misinterpreted or lead to a miscalculation during a very delicate time," White House press secretary Jay Carney said.