WASHINGTON – A high-stakes telephone call between President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin is underway as the White House warns a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be imminent.
The call, which began Saturday at 11:04 a.m. ET, came after the State Department late Friday directed most staff who remain in the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv to leave Ukraine immediately. The Pentagon also ordered the withdrawal of 160 National Guard troops from Ukraine.
Biden is in Camp David in Maryland for the weekend. During a phone call earlier Saturday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, that if Russia invades Ukraine, it would result in a "resolute, massive, and united Transatlantic response."
The embassy is suspending consular services but will still provide some emergency services with a small team remaining. The embassy will operate at a "bare minimum" to maintain "core functions," according to a senior State Department official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The move comes as Washington has ratcheted up warnings for Americans to leave the country. If a conflict materializes, Americans in Ukraine should not expect the U.S. military to rescue them, the official said Saturday morning, adding: "It isn't just time to leave Ukraine. It is past time for private citizens to leave Ukraine."
The State Department had earlier ordered families of U.S. Embassy staffers in Kyiv to leave, but it had left it to the discretion of nonessential personnel if they wanted to depart.
The department also updated its travel advisory urging Americans not to travel to Ukraine. U.S. officials say they don't have a count of how many Americans are in Ukraine.
US orders withdrawal of 160 troops from Ukraine
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the withdrawal of 160 National Guard troops from Ukraine on Saturday amid signs of an imminent invasion by Russia.
The troops from the Florida National Guard have been advising Ukrainian forces since November. They will be sent elsewhere in Europe.
“The secretary made this decision out of an abundance of caution – with the safety and security of our personnel foremost in mind – and informed by the State Department’s guidance on U.S. personnel in Ukraine,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement.
On Friday, Austin ordered 3,000 soldiers from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Poland to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank. Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden's national security adviser, also urged all U.S. citizens to leave Ukraine.
– Tom Vanden Brook
Biden, Putin to speak; US warns Russia of 'resolute, massive' response to invasion
President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to speak by phone Saturday morning as the U.S. seeks to cool the tensions at the Ukraine border, where Russia has amassed more than 100,000 troops.
Earlier Saturday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoygu to discuss Russia's military build-up, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov.
Blinken pushed for a "diplomatic path to resolving this crisis," according to a State Department readout of the call, but said it would require Moscow deescalating and engaging in "good-faith discussions." Blinken said that if Russia invades Ukraine, it would result in a "resolute, massive, and united Transatlantic response."
Sullivan said Friday there is a "credible prospect" military action could occur before Feb. 20, when the Beijing Olympics end.
The 3,000 combat troops on the way to Poland will join 1,700 who already are assembling there in a demonstration of American commitment to NATO allies worried at the prospect of Russia invading Ukraine.
Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @Joeygarrison.
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