Putin, Biden Plan High-Stakes Phone Call in Ukraine Crisis

By JIM HEINTZ, Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden plan to hold a high-stakes telephone call on Saturday as tensions over a possibly imminent invasion of Ukraine escalate sharply.

The U.S. plans to evacuate its embassy in the Ukrainian capital.

Before talking to Biden, Putin is to have another call with French President Emmanuel Macron, who met with him in Moscow earlier in the week to try to resolve the crisis.

Russia has massed troops near the Ukraine border and has sent troops to exercises in neighboring Belarus but denies that it intends to launch an offensive against Ukraine.

The Pentagon ordered an additional 3,000 U.S. troops to Poland to reassure allies.

Ukraine-Russia Crisis: What to Know About the Fears of War

By RAF CASERT, Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — The chill of a Cold War hangs over Eastern Europe again. Russia is carrying out military maneuvers and drills close to Ukraine, and the U.S. is escalating its dire warnings about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying it could take place within days.

Diplomats and government leaders, meanwhile, are struggling ever more to jumpstart moribund talks to stave off full-out war.

The White House says it still doesn't know if Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a decision to invade, but it says Putin has assembled all the elements to do so quickly and is telling Americans in Ukraine to leave within the next 48 hours.

US to Evacuate Ukraine Embassy Amid Russian Invasion Fears

By MATTHEW LEE, AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say the United States is preparing to evacuate its embassy in Kyiv as Western intelligence officials warn that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is increasingly imminent.

The officials say the State Department plans to announce early Saturday that virtually all American staff at the Kyiv embassy will be required to leave.

A limited number of officials may remain in Kyiv, but almost all will be sent out or relocated to Ukraine's far west, near the Polish border, so the U.S. can retain a diplomatic presence in the country.

The new move comes as Washington has ratcheted up its warnings about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.