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By Natalia Zinets and Pavel Polityuk
KYIV, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday he could not rule out a further escalation of tensions with Russia but he criticised what he said was too much "panic" weighing on the economy.
He spoke after Russian President Vladimir Putin said the United States and NATO had not addressed Moscow's main security demands in the East-West standoff over Ukraine, but that he was ready to keep talking.
Speaking at a news conference, Zelenskiy said: "I don't consider the situation now more tense than before. There is a feeling abroad that there is war here. That's not the case."
"I am not saying an escalation is not possible...(but) we don't need this panic."
He said that was the message he gave U.S. President Joe Biden in their phone call on Thursday and that Russia was trying to intimidate Ukraine.
Ukraine was stabilising its hryvnia currency with FX reserves, as well as asking military, political and economic support from the West, he said, adding the country needed 4-5 billion dollars to stabilise its economy. (Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Natalia Zinets; Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Alex Richardson and Angus MacSwan)
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