Biden and Zelensky last spoke last month and it “did not go well,” a senior Ukrainian official told CNN at the time, amid disagreements over the “risk levels” of a Russian attack.
The Zelensky call comes a day after Biden warned Russian President Vladimir Putin during a call that the US and its allies will respond “decisively and impose swift and severe costs” on Russia should Putin decide to invade Ukraine.
BIden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday issued a stark warning that the United States believes Russia could launch an invasion of Ukraine this week, but is still holding out hope diplomacy can prevail. Sullivan told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” that Russian forces are in a place where an invasion could take place before the end of the Beijing Winter Olympics, which end on February 20.
The US has estimated that Russia has more than 100,000 troops near the Ukraine border, with thousands added just this week, according to an administration official. As of Saturday, the US had moved some of its forces out of Ukraine and ordered the evacuation of most of its embassy staff on Saturday as fears mount over a possible Russian invasion.
Sullivan said the US Embassy in Ukraine is “ready to complete the drawdown … should that become necessary.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
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