Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that the first of 16,000 foreigners who have volunteered to fight for his country have arrived to help battle Russian invaders.

"Ukraine is already greeting foreign volunteers. (The) first 16,000 are already on their way to protect freedom and life for us, and for all," Zelenskyy said in a video shared to his Telegraph page Thursday.

"We have nothing to lose but our own freedom," he added.

According to The Washington Post, foreign citizens have been fighting for Ukraine since 2014, when Russian separatists seized an eastern region of the country. However, The Post says the fighters arriving in Ukraine now are "far beyond" what had previously been seen.

While it's unclear from which countries the volunteers had traveled, some of those arriving in Ukraine may have disobeyed orders from their own government about traveling to the country to fight. The U.S. and the U.K. are among the governments that have instructed citizens against volunteering and instead have provided Ukraine with weapons and aid, CNN reports.

Formula 1 says it has terminated its contract with the promoter of the Russian Grand Prix, removing the race from the annual schedule for the foreseeable future amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Formula 1 can confirm it has terminated its contract with the Russian Grand Prix promoter. It means that Russia will no longer have a race in the future," the circuit said in a statement on Thursday.

The move comes after the racing circuit removed the Russian Grand Prix from the 2022 schedule last week, noting that it was "impossible" to hold the race "in the current circumstances."

According to ESPN, F1 originally signed an agreement to stage the Russian Grand Prix in 2014, and the current contract extended through the 2025 season.

The street circuit race has been held annually in Sochi since that agreement was signed. The course twists through landmarks that were built to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.

F1's decision to sever the Russian Grand Prix's contract is just the latest punishment sports leagues have levied against Russia since it invaded Ukraine late last month.

On Monday, FIFA suspended the Russian national team from international soccer events, including the upcoming World Cup. That announcement came just days after UEFA said it was moving the 2022 Champions League Final from St. Petersburg to Paris.

Also, on Monday, the IOC suggested banning all Russian athletes from all sports from international competition. On Thursday, the committee announced that Russia and Belarus would not participate in the upcoming Winter Paralympic games.

The National Hockey League has released a statement formally condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The league shared the message on Twitter writing that the NHL is "concerned about the well-being of the players from Russia, who play in the NHL on behalf of their NHL Clubs, and not on behalf of Russia."

The statement went on to say that the NHL "urges a peaceful resolution as quickly as possible." The NHL said that the organization has suspended its relationship with business partners in Russia and said "we are pausing our Russian language social and digital media sites. In addition, we are discontinuing any consideration of Russia as a location for any future competitions involving the NHL."

On Friday, Russian-born NHL player Alex Ovechkin said, "I have lots of friends in Russia and Ukraine. And, it's hard to see another war. I hope it's soon going to be over and there's going to be peace in the whole world," CNN reported.

And on Saturday, NHL great Wayne Gretzky said, "I think international hockey should say, 'We're not gonna let them play in the world junior hockey tournament. I think we got to, as Canadians, take that stance," the CBC reported.

Prices at the pump continue to skyrocket and break records in some cities across the country. Experts say several factors are to blame, including the rising tensions in Russia and Ukraine.

“I think these prices are ridiculous,” said Joel Gordillo while getting gas Tuesday, paying more than $5 a gallon for premium gas. “I mean, look at this, this is too much.”

According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the national average for a gallon of gas was $3.53 on Tuesday.

At a gas station in San Diego, a gallon of regular was $4.99 Tuesday; all other options were more than $5.

“I’m just waiting for them to drop down, hopefully soon; the struggle is real, you know, a lot of people can’t pay these gas prices right now,” said Ernesto Tapia, who was gassing up his car.

Unfortunately, some experts don’t think the prices will be going down any time soon.

“February of last year, oil was at about $61 a barrel,” said Marie Montgomery, a spokesperson for AAA of Southern California. She said that number was $96 a barrel on Tuesday. She said since Friday, wholesale gas prices in Southern California have spiked.

Montgomery said three major factors have contributed to the increase in gas prices, one of the most significant- rising tensions between Ukraine and Russia.

“For California specifically, we don’t get any oil or gasoline from Russia, but of course, the tensions are rising oil prices worldwide, and we have to pay those oil prices, so that’s the main issue we’re seeing,” said Montgomery.

Russia is one of the world’s leading oil producers, and if leaders choose to withhold that oil, we’ll likely continue to feel it at the pump.

Montgomery says other reasons we’re seeing high prices are inflation on a national and state level and the state’s early switch to a summer blend of gasoline, which is more expensive to produce than the winter blend.

For now, there appears to be no end in sight, but Montgomery said there are things to consider when trying to save money at the pump.

“It’s more important now than ever to aggressively shop around for the cheapest prices. You can still find many stations out there that are competitive, not great prices, but well below the average,” said Montgomery.

Montgomery said the AAA mobile app will show users the lowest gas prices nearby. “Virtually shop around; make sure you’re not paying that average price,” she said.

This story was first reported by Mimi Elkalla at KGTV in San Diego, California.

MOSCOW — Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin have concluded a call to discuss the crisis in Ukraine as the White House says intelligence shows Russia could invade on short notice.

The White House says the call lasted 62 minutes, and that Biden once again called on Putin to de-escalate and pull back the well over 100,000 Russian troops that have massed near Ukraine’s borders.

"President Biden was clear that, if Russia undertakes a further invasion of Ukraine, the United States together with our Allies and partners will respond decisively and impose swift and severe costs on Russia," a White House readout of the call said.

The White House added that "Biden reiterated that a further Russian invasion of Ukraine would produce widespread human suffering and diminish Russia’s standing" and that he was "clear with President Putin that while the United States remains prepared to engage in diplomacy, in full coordination with our Allies and partners, we are equally prepared for other scenarios.

Before talking to Biden, Putin had 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.

On Friday, White House officials said they believe that Russia has amassed enough troops on the Ukrainian border to conduct large-scale military operations at "any time."

Previously, analysts believed that Russia would wait to conduct any military action until after the Winter Olympic Games end next week as a gesture of goodwill to host China. But officials say that it's possible an invasion could occur in the days ahead.

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

An Olympian from Ukraine made sure people knew what he thought about a potential conflict with Russia.

According to The Associated Press, Vladyslav Heraskevych flashed a sign that said "No War in Ukraine" after his first run in the skeleton event.

Athletes are not allowed to make political statements at the Olympics. However, according to The Guardian, the International Olympic Committee is not taking action because they consider the sign “a general call for peace.”

“It’s my position. Like any normal people, I don’t want war,” Heraskevych said, according to The Associated Press. “I want peace in my country, and I want peace in the world. It’s my position, so I fight for that. I fight for peace.”

Tensions between Ukraine and Russia are high. Officials in the United States believe Russia could invade Ukraine before the Olympics are over.

"We continue to see signs of Russian escalation," national security adviser Jake Sullivan said during the White House briefing Friday. "We are in the window where an invasion could happen."

President Joe Biden is reportedly scheduled to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday in an attempt to prevent a war.

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin says the U.S. and its allies have ignored Russia's top security demands.

In his first comments on the standoff with the West over Ukraine in more than a month, Putin said Tuesday that the Kremlin is still studying the U.S. and NATO's response to the Russian security demands received last week. But he said it was clear that the West has ignored the Russian demands that NATO not expand to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations, refrain from deploying offensive weapons near Russia and roll back its deployments to Eastern Europe.

Tensions have soared in recent weeks, and the United States and its NATO allies worry that the concentration of about 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine signals Moscow's intention to attack.

Russia denies having any such designs — and has laid out a series of demands it says will improve security in Europe, including a promise that NATO will not extend an invitation to Ukraine and a guarantee that the alliance will remove troops from Eastern Europe.

But the U.S. and the Western alliance have firmly rejected any concessions on Moscow's suggestions. Many of Russia's demands are nonstarters for NATO, creating a stalemate that many fear can only end in a war.

In the past, Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed frustration with the Soviet breakup of some countries, like Belarus and Ukraine. According to an Associated Press analysis, Putin sees those countries as part of a historic Russian linguistic and Orthodox motherland.

At a U.N. security council on Monday, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Russia's actions pose "a clear threat to international peace and security and the U.N. Charter." She added that council members "must squarely examine the facts and consider what is at stake for Ukraine, for Russia, for Europe."

Thomas-Greenfield said "they are attempting, without any factual basis, to paint Ukraine and Western countries as the aggressors to fabricate a pretext for attack."

Last week, the Pentagon ordered 8,500 troops on higher alert — marking a change to a more aggressive stance from the Biden White House. In addition, NATO allies have begun transporting military equipment toward Ukraine.

Ukraine has tried to urge its citizens to remain calm and thwart fears of a potential Russian invasion. However, the U.S. has already ordered some of those staying at its embassy in Kyiv to leave the country.

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to meet Monday for the first time on Russia's troop buildup and threatening actions against Ukraine at the request of the United States.

All key players are expected to square off in public over the possibility of a Russian invasion and its global impact.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Russia's actions pose "a clear threat to international peace and security and the U.N. Charter." She added that council members "must squarely examine the facts and consider what is at stake for Ukraine, for Russia, for Europe."

Russia's deputy ambassador called the proposed meeting a "PR stunt."

"I can't recall another occasion when a SC (Security Council) member proposed to discuss its own baseless allegations and assumptions as a threat to intl (international) order from someone else. Hopefully fellow UNSC members will not support this clear PR stunt shameful for the reputation of UN Security Council," U.N. ambassador Dmitry Polyansky tweeted.

According to The Associated Press, Polyansky's reaction indicates that Russia may ask for a procedural vote to stop the meeting. Russia would need support from nine of 15 members to block the meeting.

The AP spoke with a Biden administration official that said they are "confident" that there is "more than sufficient support" to hold the meeting.

Tensions have soared in recent weeks, and the United States and its NATO allies worry that the concentration of about 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine signals Moscow's intention to attack.

Russia denies having any such designs — and has laid out a series of demands it says will improve security in Europe, including a promise that NATO will not extend an invitation to Ukraine and a guarantee that the alliance will remove troops from Eastern Europe.

But the U.S. and the Western alliance have firmly rejected any concessions on Moscow's suggestions. Many of Russia's demands are nonstarters for NATO, creating a stalemate that many fear can only end in a war.

In the past, Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed frustration with the Soviet breakup of some countries, like Belarus and Ukraine. According to an Associated Press analysis, Putin sees those countries as part of a historic Russian linguistic and Orthodox motherland.

Last week, the Pentagon ordered 8,500 troops on higher alert — marking a change to a more aggressive stance from the Biden White House. In addition, NATO allies have begun transporting military equipment toward Ukraine.

Ukraine has tried to urge its citizens to remain calm and thwart fears of a potential Russian invasion. However, the U.S. has already ordered some of those staying at its embassy in Kyiv to leave the country.

MOSCOW —

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Sunday rejected a British claim that Russia was seeking to replace Ukraine's government with a pro-Moscow administration, and that former Ukrainian lawmaker Yevheniy Murayev was being considered as a potential candidate.

Britain's Foreign Office on Saturday also named several other Ukrainian politicians it said had links with Russian intelligence services, along with Murayev who is the leader of a small pro-Russia party that has no seats in the parliament.

The U.K. government made the claim based on an intelligence assessment, without providing evidence to back it up. It comes amid high tensions between Moscow and the West over Russia's designs on Ukraine.

"The disinformation spread by the British Foreign Office is more evidence that it is the NATO countries, led by the Anglo-Saxons, who are escalating tensions around Ukraine," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on the Telegram messaging app Sunday. "We call on the British Foreign Office to stop provocative activities, stop spreading nonsense."

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the information "shines a light on the extent of Russian activity designed to subvert Ukraine, and is an insight into Kremlin thinking."

Truss urged Russia to "deescalate, end its campaigns of aggression and disinformation, and pursue a path of diplomacy," and reiterated Britain's view that "any Russian military incursion into Ukraine would be a massive strategic mistake with severe costs.

Britain has sent anti-tank weapons to Ukraine as part of efforts to bolster its defenses against a potential Russian attack.

Amid diplomatic efforts to defuse the crisis, U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace is expected to meet Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu for talks in Moscow. No timing has been given for the meeting, which would be the first U.K.-Russia bilateral defense talks since 2013.

The U.S. has mounted an aggressive campaign in recent months to unify its European allies against a new Russian invasion of Ukraine. The White House called the U.K. government assessment "deeply concerning" and said it stands with the duly elected Ukrainian government.

"This kind of plotting is deeply concerning," National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said. "The Ukrainian people have the sovereign right to determine their own future, and we stand with our democratically-elected partners in Ukraine."

The assessment came as President Joe Biden spent Saturday at the presidential retreat Camp David outside of Washington huddling with his senior national security team about the Ukraine situation. A White House official said the discussions included efforts to de-escalate the situation with diplomacy and deterrence measures being coordinated closely with allies and partners, including security assistance to Ukraine.

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Jill Lawless in London, Jari Tanner in Helsinki, and Matthew Lee and Zeke Miller in Washington, contributed to this report.