With 130,000 Russian troops massed along Ukraine’s border, the US has also claimed war could begin at any moment and, along with several other countries, has advised its citizens to leave the country immediately.
On Saturday, Joe Biden and Mr Putin spoke for an hour on the phone.
From Australia to UK, Hungary to France, here’s how countries from across the world are responding to the crisis.
US
During their call on Saturday, President Joe Biden told Russia’s Vladimir Putin that invading Ukraine would cause “widespread human suffering” and that the West was committed to diplomacy to end the crisis but “equally prepared for other scenarios”.
Biden also said the United States and its allies would respond “decisively and impose swift and severe costs” if the Kremlin attacked its neighbour, according to the White House.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon has ordered an additional 3,000 US troops to Poland. The US has also urged all American citizens in Ukraine to leave the country immediately, adding that those who remain should not expect the US military to rescue them in the event that air and rail transportation is severed after a Russian invasion.
The United States also announced plans to evacuate most of its staff from the embassy in the Ukrainian capital. Consular services have been suspended in Ukraine.
RUSSIA
Russian President Putin has complained that the United States and NATO have not responded satisfactorily to Russian demands that Ukraine be prohibited from joining the military alliance and that NATO pull back forces from Eastern Europe.
Russia has maintained that it has no plans of invading Ukraine. However, the country has massed well over 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border and has sent troops to exercises in neighboring Belarus, encircling Ukraine on three sides.
UKRAINE
On Saturday, thousands of Ukrainians braved the cold to march across Kyiv and show unity in the face of a feared Russian invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday, “Right now, the people’s biggest enemy is panic in our country. And all this information is only provoking panic and not helping us.”
AUSTRALIA
On Sunday, Australia said it was evacuating its embassy in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. Additionally, Prime Minister Scott Morrison called on China to not remain “chillingly silent” on the crisis.
Australia’s embassy staff in Kyiv was directed to a temporary office in Lviv, a city in western Ukraine, around 70 kilometres (44 miles) from the border with Poland, an official statement said.
The country has advised its citizens to leave Ukraine immediately by commercial means.
HUNGARY
Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned on Saturday that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could send hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees fleeing across the border into his country.
In his address, he urged a peaceful resolution to the rising tensions in Europe. He said it was in Hungary’s best interest to “avoid war,” which he said would cause a wave of Ukrainian refugees and a disruption of the economy.
UK
Meanwhile, UK has urged its nationals to leave Ukraine immediately “by any means possible”. “They should not expect, as they saw in the summer with Afghanistan, that there would be any possibility of a military evacuation,” said junior defence minister James Heappey.
Britain is, however, maintaining a diplomatic presence in Ukraine.
FRANCE
Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke on the phone on Saturday. According to a French official, Putin gave no indication of planning to invade Ukraine during the call.
“We are nevertheless extremely vigilant and alert to the Russian (military) posture in order to avoid the worst,” the official added.
France has advised its nationals to avoid trips to Ukraine and preparations are being made for embassy staff and their families to leave the country if they want.
NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand’s foreign ministry urged on Saturday all New Zealanders in Ukraine to leave immediately in response to heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
“New Zealand does not have diplomatic representation in Ukraine and the government’s ability to provide consular assistance to New Zealanders in Ukraine is therefore very limited,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
“The security situation in Ukraine could change at short notice and New Zealanders should not rely on support with evacuating in these circumstances.”
(With inputs from AP and Reuters)
