Russia-Ukraine: White House: Russia could begin attack on Ukraine 'at any time'

The Canadian government has delivered weapons and other military aid to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, according to a translated press release.

The military aid was received by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Saturday evening at the Danylo Halytskyi International Airport in Lviv. 

"Today we received military assistance in the form of sniper rifles, automatic rifles, machine guns with optical aiming devices, pistols, night vision and surveillance devices and military equipment. Thank you to our partners and friends for this important and timely decision!," the press release states.

The military aid was delivered by a Royal Canadian Air Force C-17 military transport aircraft and Ukraine's Minister of Defense Oleksiy Reznikov thanked the Canadian government for their support.

This is the second aircraft of military aid that was delivered by the Canadian government, as the first was delivered on Feb. 4, according to the press release.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet with him to find a diplomatic solution to the current crisis.

Zelenskyy made the invitation to Putin during the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

“I don't know what the president of the Russian Federation wants, so I am proposing a meeting,” Zelenskyy said.

He also said that that Putin can pick a location for the discussion to occur.

"Ukraine will continue to follow only the diplomatic path for the sake of a peaceful settlement," Zelenskyy said.

The Kremlin did not respond to Zelenskyy's request, according to the Associated Press.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the leadership of the security and defense forces after returning from the Munich Security Conference on Saturday at Boryspil International Airport.

A press release states that Zelenskyy was briefed on recent events in Eastern Ukraine and received information on "the territory of Russia and Belarus along the Ukrainian border, as well as in the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions."

"The participants of the meeting discussed possible scenarios of further developments and the necessary steps of Ukraine in case of each scenario," the press release states. "Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave instructions on the additional logistical support of the troops."

The European Union is "extremely concerned" Russia will use staged events as a pretext for possible military escalation.

A press release by the Council of the European Union on Saturday said that it is witnessing an "intensification" of information manipulation to support a possible military escalation.

"The EU is also witnessing an intensification of information manipulation efforts to support such objectives. In this context, we firmly express our support for the OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission, whose observers play a key role in de-escalation efforts. This mission must be allowed to carry out its full mandate without restrictions to its activities and freedom of movement to the benefit and security of the people in eastern Ukraine," the press release states.

The European Union also said that it sees "no grounds" for the allegations of a Ukrainian attack on the non-governmental controlled areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.

In describing the build-up of armed Russian forces "in and around Ukraine," the European Union said that it "remains of grave concern," and urged Russia to de-escalate and withdrawal military forces around Ukraine.

The European Union added that the current escalation is "now compounded by the increase in ceasefire violations along the line of contact in eastern Ukraine in recent days."

"The EU condemns the use of heavy weaponry and indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, which constitute a clear violation of the Minsk agreements and international humanitarian law. We commend Ukraine’s posture of restraint in the face of continued provocations and efforts at destabilisation," the press release states.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that President Biden will be convening a meeting of the National Security Council on Sunday regarding the ongoing situation in Ukraine.

President Biden's national security team reaffirmed that Russia could begin an attack against Ukraine "at any time."

"This afternoon, the President received an update on the Vice President’s meetings at the Munich Security Conference with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, European Commission President von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg, leaders of the Baltic states (Prime Minister Kallas of Estonia, President Levits of Latvia, and President Nauseda of Lithuania), Chancellor Scholz of Germany, Prime Minister Mitsotakis of Greece, and leaders of other Allies and partners," Psaki said.

Russian observers are saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants Ukraine to become a "neutral buffer zone."

Interfax is also reporting that Russia's investigative committee is sending experts to Rstov, Russia to interview individuals who evacuated from the Donbas region in Ukraine, where breakaway republics have been in armed conflict with the Ukrainian army dating back to 2014.

"Experienced investigators and criminologists, based on the testimonies of victims of the actions of Ukrainian military personnel, witnesses and eyewitnesses, will form an evidence base that will help to expose and subsequently bring to justice all those responsible," the report says.  

"Chairman of the Investigative Committee Alexander Ivanovich Bastrykin instructed the heads of the Main Investigative Directorate, the Investigative Committee of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Rostov Region, as well as the heads of other regional investigative departments of the Investigative Committee of Russia, operating on the territory where the refugees will arrive, to take comprehensive measures to establish and procedurally record the criminal actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Armed Forces of Ukraine - IF) on the territory of Donbass," a press release says.

Fox News' Amy Kellogg contributed to this report

The signals coming out of Russia suggest that Moscow is ready for a "full-fledged" attack on Ukraine, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said during the Munich Security Conference.

Stoltenberg told German broadcaster ARD that officials agreed the risk of attack is "very high."

The foreign ministers of the G7 countries -- including Secretary of State Antony Blinken -- on Saturday pledged their "unwavering commitment" to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of a Russian buildup of military force at its border.

"We reiterate our unwavering commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and territorial waters," the statement from the foreign ministers of the U.S, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom said in a statement.

"We reaffirm the right of any sovereign state to determine its own future and security arrangements. We commend Ukraine’s posture of restraint in the face of continued provocations and efforts at destabilization," it said.

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Top U.S. and NATO officials have warned Russia may plan to invade Ukraine in the coming days, but U.S. lawmakers remain divided on whether the White House strategy to use severe sanctions as a deterrent is working. 

"I can't imagine why President Biden will not step forward and take an action," Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., told Fox News Saturday. "It appears that he is waiting for things to escalate for lives to be lost, property to be damaged."

The senator, who sits on the Armed Services Committee, argued that "sanctions work."

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President Biden on Saturday left the White House for lunch with his granddaughters at a nearby restaurant while ignoring shouted questions about the Russia-Ukraine crisis. 

As the world is gripped by a possible Russian invasion into Ukraine, Biden declined to address the situation after leaving a lunch just blocks from the White House.

"Good to see you," Biden said, in response to a shouted question from the press pool on tensions with Russia/Ukraine.

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NATO on Saturday announced that it relocated Ukraine staff to the western city of Lviv.

Other staff has relocated to Brussels for safety reasons, a NATO official said. The announcement follows travel advisories from Germany and Austria that urged its citizens in Ukraine to evacuate the country as soon as possible.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is leading a press conference at the Munich Security Conference in Germany Saturday morning amid heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

Pelosi will be joined by House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., and Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn. The group is on a congressional delegation to the Munich Security Conference. 

The event comes just hours after Vice President Kamala Harris met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Munich, and pledged united action with allies across the globe if Russia were to invade Ukraine -- including "severe" economic sanctions.

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Ukraine President Zelenskyy acknowledged, likely for the first time, that a full-scale Russian invasion may soon occur and urged action from the West.

The United States and European allies have threatened Russia with economic sanctions should it take any military action in Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has urged the West to take action now if officials believe intelligence that suggests Russia may attack at any time in the next few days.

"It won't help once they are there," Zelenksyy said during the Munich Security Conference.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.

Officials fled to a bomb shelter after coming under attack during a tour of the conflict front in Eastern Ukraine, according to an Associated Press journalist who was on the tour.

Earlier Saturday, separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine ordered a full military mobilization Saturday amid a spike of violence in the war-torn region and fears in the West that Russia might use the strife as a pretext for an invasion.

Ukraine and the two regions held by the Russia-backed rebels each accused the other of escalation. Russia on Saturday said at least two shells fired from a government-held part of eastern Ukraine landed across the border.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba dismissed the claim as “a fake statement.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, southern Germany, on February 19, 2022. - During the 58th Munich Security Conference running from February 18-20, 2022, international diplomats and experts meet to discuss topics such as global order, human and transnational security, defense or sustainability. (Photo by THOMAS KIENZLE/AFP via Getty Images)

Zelenskyy says "the security architecture in Europe is broken. It’s time for a new one."

He says of the current Russia threat, "This isn't about war in Ukraine. This is about war in Europe."

Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Munich, and pledged united action with allies across the globe if Russia were to invade Ukraine -- including "severe" economic sanctions.

"As you know, this is a decisive moment in our world's history and this is an important meeting for that and many other reasons," Harris said in a bilateral meeting with the Ukrainian leader.

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Russia's President Vladimir Putin watches, alongside his Belarusian counterpart, training launches of ballistic missiles as part of the Grom-2022 Strategic Deterrence Force exercise, from the situational centre of the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow on February 19, 2022. - Russia on February 19 successfully test-fired its latest hypersonic ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and nuclear-capable ballistic missiles as part of "planned exercises," the Kremlin said, as tensions soar over Ukraine. (Photo by Alexey NIKOLSKY / Sputnik / AFP) (Photo by ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)

Russian President Vladimir Putin's press office released details of the ballistic and cruise missile tests Russia's military held Saturday, noting that the test involved air, ground, and naval forces, and calling the drill a "success."

"The exercises of the strategic deterrence forces were planned earlier, during which the readiness of the military command and control bodies, launch combat crews, crews of warships and strategic missile carriers to perform the assigned tasks, as well as the reliability of the weapons of strategic nuclear and non-nuclear forces, was checked," a statement from the Kremlin claimed.

"The tasks envisaged during the exercise of the strategic deterrence forces were completed in full, all missiles hit the designated targets, confirming the specified characteristics," the statement said.

The statement claimed that Russia's aerospace forces launched its Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, and that its Navy launched Kalibr cruise missiles and Zirkon hypersonic missiles. Nuclear submarines were also involved in the operation.

Tu-95m launched cruise missiles at ground targets.

Secretary of Defense of the United States Lloyd Austin during a press conference on February 19, 2022 in Vilnius, Lithuania. For the past two days, NATO Defence Ministers have gathered in Brussels to discuss the expansion of military points along the European Eastern flank. Ongoing conversations between Western countries and Russia to de-escalate the crisis at the Russian- Ukrainian continue, but Western leaders continue to claim that there is a very high chance that a Russian invasion might happen in the coming days. (Photo by Paulius Peleckis/Getty Images)

Speaking in Vilnius, Lithuania, United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to launch an attack on Ukraine.

"They’re uncoiling and now poised to strike,” Austin said.

"If you look at the stance he is in today, it's apparent he has made a decision and they are moving into the right positions to conduct an attack," Austin continued, referring to Putin.

Austin's comments Saturday echo those of President Joe Biden, who said Friday that he believes Putin has made the decision to invade Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko (L) watch training launches of ballistic missiles as part of the Grom-2022 Strategic Deterrence Force exercise, from the situational centre of the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow on February 19, 2022. - Russia on February 19 successfully test-fired its latest hypersonic ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and nuclear-capable ballistic missiles as part of "planned exercises," the Kremlin said, as tensions soar over Ukraine. (Photo by Alexey NIKOLSKY / Sputnik / AFP) (Photo by ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)

Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw a massive drill for the country's strategical nuclear forces Saturday, amid growing sentiment that Putin plans to invade Ukraine.

The Kremlin claimed, in a statement released later on its website, that the tests were successful.

"The tasks envisaged during the exercise of the strategic deterrence forces have been completed in full, all the missiles hit the designated targets, confirming the specified characteristics," the Russian government said.

Putin reportedly observed the tests from the country's Defense Ministry, alongside Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a Putin ally who previously offered to house Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus.

A Kremlin spokesman told media that the exercise was planned, and that Western officials had been previously notified of the drills.

“Practice launches of ballistic missiles are part of regular training,” he said. “They are preceded by a series of notices to other nations via different channels.”

U.S. officials, however, noted that Russia typically hosts its exercises in the fall and that the Kremlin appears to have moved the exercises to February, potentially to coincide with plans to invade Ukraine. In addition to Saturday's nuclear drills, the Russian military has held several large-scale drills near Ukraine.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

People sit inside a but waiting to be evacuate to Russia amid crisis in Donetsk, the territory controlled by pro-Russian militants, eastern Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 18, 2022.

Russian-baked separatists in eastern Ukraine Saturday declared a full military mobilization amid a surge of violence in the region.

A day earlier women and children in the region had begun evacuating to southern Russia.

NATO allies are concerned Russia will use the violence there as a pretense to invade Ukraine.

Denis Pushilin, the head of the pro-Russia separatist government in Ukraine's Donetsk region, released a statement announcing a full troop mobilization and urging reservists to show up at military enlistment offices. A similar announcement quickly followed from Leonid Pasechnik, separatist leader in the Luhansk region.

Pushilin cited “immediate threat of aggression" from Ukrainian forces, accusations that Ukrainian officials vehemently denied earlier.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

In this handout photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy greets Ukrainian coast guards in Mariupol, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to attend the Munich Security Conference in Germany Saturday but will return to Ukraine hours later, his office confirmed, according to Reuters.

The White House and NATO allies have expressed concern that Russia could take advantage of Zelensky's absence.

Zelensky is scheduled to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris in Munich.

President Biden told reporters Friday Zelensky's trip to Munich "may not be a wise choice, but it's his decision."

"That's a judgment for him to make," the president said. "It's in the pursuit of a diplomatic solution."

Rev. Franklin Graham, son of the late evangelical Christian leader Billy Graham, pre-records his invocation to the Republican National Convention at the Mellon Auditorium on August 27, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Franklin Graham, the son of Billy Graham, was criticized by some on social media Friday after he asked people to pray for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Graham noted in his Twitter post that it sounded like a "strange" request, but "we need to pray that God would work in his heart so that war could be avoided at all cost. May God give wisdom to the leaders involved in these talks & negotiations, as well as those advising them."

"Pray for the Ukrainian people!!!" one person commented while others noted Putin's alleged atrocities.

Russia had amassed between 169,000 and 190,000 troops outside of Ukraine's border by this week, Michael Carpenter, the U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said Friday, according to Reuters.

"This is the most significant military mobilization in Europe since the Second World War," he said.

On Jan. 30, the estimates were closer to 100,000.

Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology, speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Friday, Feb. 18, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The White House blamed the Kremlin Friday for cyberattacks this week that targeted Ukraine's defense ministry and major banks, warning that more attacks are likely ahead.

The attacks knocked government websites and a couple of major banks offline for much of the day. They were of “limited impact” since Ukrainian officials were able to quickly get their systems back up and running, Anne Neuberger, the Biden administration’s deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, said.

“We do expect that should Russia decide to proceed with a further invasion of Ukraine, we may see further destabilizing or destructive cyber activity, and we’ve been working closely with allies and partners to ensure we’re prepared to call out that behavior and respond,” Neuberger said.

The British Foreign Office said the attack “showed a continued disregard for Ukrainian sovereignty. This activity is yet another example of Russia’s aggressive acts against Ukraine.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.