Russia-Ukraine: Zalenskyy identifies day he believes Russia will launch ‘attack’: LIVE UPDATES
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zalenskyy, in a speech to his nation Monday, said this upcoming Wednesday will be the "day of the attack."
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that the U.S. is "in the process of temporarily relocating our Embassy operations in Ukraine from our Embassy in Kyiv to Lviv due to the dramatic acceleration in the buildup of Russian forces.
Lviv is close to Ukraine's border with Poland, where thousands of American troops are bring deployed.
"The Embassy will remain engaged with the Ukrainian government, coordinating diplomatic engagement in Ukraine," Blinken added. "We are also continuing our intensive diplomatic efforts to deescalate the crisis."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zalenskyy, in a speech to his nation Monday, said this upcoming Wednesday will be the "day of the attack."
“We are told that February 16 will be the day of attack. We will make it a union day," he said. "The decree has already been signed. This [Wednesday] afternoon, we will hang national flags, put on blue-yellow ribbons, and show the world our unity.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv Monday, said "in the event of a military escalation, we are prepared to impose very far-reaching and effective sanctions [on Russia] in coordination with our allies," the dpa news agency reports.
Scholz also reportedly promised Ukraine an additional $170 million in financial aid.
“There are no sensible reasons for such a military deployment," Scholz said about Russia, according to the Associated Press.
The German leader is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday.
A source familiar with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s phone briefing this morning with top House lawmakers says the Nord Stream 2 oil pipeline between Russia and Germany came up during the discussions.
The source told Fox News’ Chad Pergram that Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., specifically asked about the pipeline and concerns about German Chancellor Olaf Scholz not publicly promising to shut it down if there is an invasion.
Sullivan, according to the source, said Germany had some issues domestically and cannot look as if they are being pressured by the U.S., but revealed that the Germans have told the Russians privately the pipeline would be dead if they invade Ukraine.
Sullivan also said the U.S. could impose sanctions that would deny pipeline operations, the source added.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has been briefing top House lawmakers by phone this morning about the situation in Ukraine. A similar briefing happens in person at 3:30 p.m. ET in the Senate today.
A source familiar with this morning’s call tells Fox News that the U.S. will offer $1 billion in soveriegn loan guarantees to Ukraine in an effort to calm market concerns about a war in Ukraine.
Fox is also told that the number of U.S. Embassy staff in Kyiv has dwindled to 22.
Valentyna Konstantynovska participates in a training session organized by the Special Forces Unit Azov, of Ukraine's National Guard, in Mariupol, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, on Sunday. (AP/Vadim Ghirda)
A photo has emerged of a 79-year-old Ukrainian woman holding a weapon during basic combat training drills being offered for civilians by Ukraine's military.
A German military plane carrying around 70 soldiers has landed in Lithuania Monday to shore up NATO’s defenses in the region, reports say.
The deployment is expected to grow to more than 350 German troops, a NATO spokesperson told Reuters.
“It’s a strong signal that Germany is willing and capable of reinforcing the battlegroup immediately as needed,” Lt. Col. Daniel Andrae, German commander of the NATO troops in Lithuania, was quoted as saying.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, greets Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov before their meeting, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Jan. 21, 2022. (AP/Alex Brandon)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told President Vladimir Putin on Monday to continue talks with the West over the Ukraine standoff, even though they have already rejected Russia's main security demands.
Speaking at the start of a meeting with Putin, Lavrov noted the U.S. has offered to conduct dialogue on limits for missile deployments in Europe, restrictions on military drills and other confidence-building measures.
Asked by Putin if it made sense to continue diplomatic efforts, Lavrov responded that possibilities for talks haven’t been exhausted and proposed to continue the negotiations.
The development comes despite repeated warnings from U.S. officials that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be imminent.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sviatoslav Yurash, a member of Ukraine's parliament, told Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson in an exclusive interview Monday morning that "martial law, if Russia invades, is almost guaranteed."
"It requires all the instruments you can apply here," he added. "But then again, there's a question what Russia will do exactly and even though Russia has all the options, which option will pursue is not clear."
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan gives an update about Ukraine during a press briefing at the White House, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is scheduled to meet with congressional leaders and key House Senate committee members on the latest developments between Russia and Ukraine on Monday, Fox News has learned.
The briefing will likely include top bicameral, bipartisan congressional leaders, as well as, leaders of House/Senate Armed Services, Foreign Affairs/Relations and Intelligence Committees.
The House briefing will be by phone at 9:15 am ET. The Senate briefings should be in the afternoon and in person.
During an interview on CNN's "State of the Union," on Sunday, Sullivan said the Biden administration could not "perfectly predict" which day Russia would invade Ukraine, but said it could begin "any day now.”
Sullivan also reiterated a warning from the Biden administration to American citizens in Ukraine, telling them to leave Ukraine "immediately" and that there will not be a military evacuation.
U.S. officials have also increased their estimate of Russian military forces at the Ukraine border from 100,000 to 130,000, according to the AP.
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