300 reasons for Putin to think twice about invading Ukraine: US sends Kiev a plane-load of lethal Javelin anti-tank weapons - each with Vlad's name on them

 An 80-tonne shipment of US anti-tank missiles has arrived in Ukraine - just the latest delivery of high-tech weapons aimed at inflicting maximum death and destruction on Putin's forces if he decides to invade.

A plane loaded with 300 Javelin missiles worth some $50million landed in capital Kiev late Tuesday, the third part of a $200million shipment of American military aid that is being sent to help its ally.

The shipment also contained grenade launchers and ammunition, as well as other non-lethal weapons systems, and comes in addition to anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons already sent by the UK, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Javelins are American-made missiles that use infrared technology to lock on to targets, rising high into the air before slamming down - making them especially deadly against tanks because their armour is thinnest on top, though Javelins can also be used to blow up buildings. 

In addition to the Javelins, Ukraine has been given American Stinger missiles which use similar technology to take out aircraft and helicopters, as well as British-made NLAWs - another kind of anti-tank rocket.

While such weapons are unlikely to tip any conflict decisively in Ukraine's favour, they are designed to inflict punishing losses on Putin's forces to make any invasion as costly and bloody for Moscow as possible.

Russia has massed some 127,000 troops along with tanks and artillery on Ukraine's border, issuing a list of security demands that has prompted a flurry of high-level diplomatic talks in an attempt to head off an all-out war.

Elsewhere today...

• Biden warned Ukraine invasion would be the 'biggest since World War Two' and said Putin could be personally targeted by sanctions, prompting the Kremlin to warn that would destroy America's relations with Russia
• NATO said it has almost completed a written response to Russia's security demands which is due to be delivered this week, a make-or-break moment for security talks 
• F-16 fighter jets under command of NATO arrived in Estonia today, with four more F-16s flying from Denmark to reinforce the Baltic region
• Presidential advisers from Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine met in Paris today for so-called 'Normandy talks' aimed at ending the war with Moscow-backed separatists in Ukraine's east
• UK foreign secretary Liz Truss echoed warnings that Putin could be personally hit with sanctions, and urged Ukraine's allies to send more military support
• Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warned Moscow is ready to quickly take 'retaliatory measures' if its security demands aren't met, warning that it will not wait forever for a response 
• Putin stressed the importance of ties between Russia's energy industry and Italy as he personally spoke with Italian business leaders in a video-conference 

An American shipment of 300 anti-tank Javelin missiles worth $50million landed in Kiev overnight, the third batch of a $200million military aid package designed to bring death and destruction to Russia's forces if Putin invades 

Ukrainian ground crews unload part of the military shipment, which also included grenade launchers and other hardware. It will now be distributed to troops on the frontline, as they face off against 127,000 Russian troops and tanks 

The Javelins come in addition to previous shipments of American Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, which are designed to shoot down planes and helicopters, as well as British-made NLAWs which are another kind of anti-tank weapon

American Javelin missiles are unloaded from an American transport plane in Kiev overnight, designed to inflict punishing losses on Putin's force if he decides to invade

Diplomats from Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine are meeting in Paris today for talks in the so-called 'Normandy format', which was originally aimed at ending the war between Ukraine and Russian-backed rebels who have been fighting in the east since 2014.  

Talks got underway this morning with a press conference due in the afternoon, and while little is expected in the way of a breakthrough it is hoped the discussions can buy some extra time so a compromise can be found. 

Russia is demanding that Ukraine be banned from ever joining NATO and that troops are withdrawn from former Soviet states. The alliance has described those as non-starters, but are hoping Moscow can be talked down into accepting limited concessions. 

In the meantime, Russia has continued to move troops around border zones and rattle its sabres - with more soldiers and fighter jets deployed to Belarus today.

Moscow says paratrooper units have been deployed - joining artillery forces and marines that have already been stationed there, ostensibly for joint military drills to be held next month.

The Russian defence ministry added that Sukhoi-35 fighter jets are also being moved. The build-up of forces in Belarus is particularly threatening to Ukraine, because it puts them within easy striking distance of Kiev.

Separately, Russian artillery forces in the southern Rostov region that borders Ukraine were set to carry out live-fire drills as part of a combat readiness inspection of the Southern Military District.

In the far north, Russian warships entered the Barents Sea to practice protecting a major shipping lane in the Arctic, the Northern Fleet said. Moscow announced sweeping naval exercises last week.

The US and its European allies have promised swift and severe punishment for Russia in the event that Ukraine is attacked, including unprecedented sanctions targeting its economy.

Joe Biden has even suggested that Vladimir Putin could be personally targeted with financial penalties, putting him on a slim list of despots and demagogues - including the likes of Bashar al Assad, Muammar Gaddafi and Nicolas Maduro - who have been hit in the past. 

The Kremlin has responded by saying such sanctions would have almost no effect on Russia or the situation in Ukraine, but would be hugely damaging to relations between the two world superpowers.

'Politically, it's not painful, it's destructive,' Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. 

'US congressmen and senators who are not quite familiar with this topic are speaking about freezing the assets of representatives of Russia's leadership,' Peskov added, pointing out that high-ranking Russian officials are barred from holding assets abroad and accusing the politicians of lacking 'expert knowledge'. 

Ukraine is also continuing to downplay the immediate risk of any invasion, with foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba saying the Kremlin has not massed enough troops for a wide-scale attack and what troops it has brought are not yet battle-ready. 

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.'