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.

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.