Olaf Scholz, German chancellor, is getting ready to launch a recent try to discourage Vladimir Putin from additional invading Ukraine, as US officers warned Russia was on the point of launching a significant assault on its western neighbour.

His preparations got here as western nations continued to withdraw diplomatic and navy personnel from Ukraine and a few airways cancelled flights to the nation. Some European international locations are getting ready to obtain a flood of refugees within the occasion of navy motion.

Scholz will journey to Kyiv on Monday earlier than arriving in Moscow on Tuesday. The German chief is anticipated to induce Putin to de-escalate the scenario on the Ukraine border, a senior authorities official mentioned. He would additionally convey “how grave the results of an assault could be” by way of sanctions on Russia, and stress “that one mustn’t underestimate the unity of the EU, US and UK”.

Scholz’s aides say he has not given up hope that diplomacy can avert a battle, though they’re taking part in down expectations of a breakthrough. “I don’t assume that we’ll come out of this with some sort of concrete consequence,” mentioned the official. However he insisted that “now is just not the time for resignation”. The large purpose for Scholz was, he mentioned, to “get a greater understanding of Russia’s objectives, and to strive to determine if there are any methods again to direct dialogue”.

In the meantime US president Joe Biden spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, with the White Home saying the president had made clear the US would reply to Russian navy motion “swiftly and aggressively”.

“The 2 leaders agreed on the significance of constant to pursue diplomacy and deterrence in response to Russia’s navy build-up on Ukraine’s borders,” US officers mentioned in a press release. Zelensky late on Sunday mentioned they mentioned “safety, economic system, present dangers, sanctions and Russian aggression”.

The Ukrainian president through the name with Biden requested him to go to Kyiv quickly in a present of solidarity. “I’m satisfied that your arrival in Kyiv within the coming days, that are essential for stabilising the scenario, will likely be a robust sign and contribute to de-escalation,” Zelensky mentioned.

Biden spoke to Putin for over an hour on Saturday, however failed to vary the Kremlin’s place, the White Home mentioned. US intelligence assessments estimate that Russia might launch a full-scale invasion within the coming days. Although the White Home believes Putin has not made a ultimate determination on whether or not to invade, Russia has constructed up greater than 130,000 troops alongside its border with Ukraine and in neighbouring Belarus, in addition to weaponry that may very well be used for an assault on Kyiv.

Jake Sullivan, the US nationwide safety adviser, advised CNN on Sunday that an invasion might start “any day now”, together with” this coming week earlier than the top of the Olympics”.

He added: “Russia might select the diplomatic path. However the way in which they’ve constructed up their forces, the way in which they’ve manoeuvred issues in place, makes it a definite chance that there will likely be main navy motion very quickly.”

In accordance with the German official, the talks with Putin have been designed to discover the alternatives for “direct dialogue” between Russia and the west, and search to make progress on implementing the Minsk settlement, aimed toward resolving the battle within the east Ukrainian areas of Donetsk and Luhansk, elements of that are managed by Russia-backed separatists.

Given Russia’s failure to reply to requests to clarify its navy build-up, Ukraine’s international minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted on Sunday night that Kyiv would request a gathering with Moscow and different signatories to the Vienna Doc — a European safety settlement — inside 48 hours.

On Sunday, the UK and the US mentioned they have been withdrawing their residents from the monitoring mission of the Group for Safety and Co-operation in Europe. Russian international ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova known as on the OSCE to keep away from being “manipulated” and “dragged into sordid political video games”.

Flight mapping software program on Sunday appeared to point out a number of airways, together with British Airways, avoiding Ukrainian airspace. British Airways declined to remark.

Germany’s Lufthansa mentioned it was contemplating a “suspension of air visitors”. Dutch airline KLM mentioned it was cancelling Ukraine flights and would keep away from the nation’s airspace. Low-cost provider Wizz Air mentioned that it was monitoring the scenario. Ryanair, which additionally operates flights to Ukraine, declined to remark.

Israel mentioned its nationwide provider El Al would lay on extra flights to deliver dwelling its 15,000 residents in Ukraine.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser at Zelensky’s workplace, advised the Monetary Occasions the airways’ actions have been “nonsense” that “resembles a sort of partial blockade”.

Ukraine’s authorities on Sunday night accepted a “assure” fund of greater than $600mn to cowl insurance coverage points and guarantee continued airline flights to and from the nation after international insurers began this weekend stopping flights citing safety dangers.

Nations neighbouring Ukraine have been getting ready to obtain refugees within the occasion of a full-scale Russian invasion. The European Fee has mentioned it’s engaged on the problem of potential refugee flows. Washington has predicted as much as 5mn individuals might cross Ukraine’s western border.

Extra reporting by Sebastian Payne in London, Andy Bounds in Brussels and Mehul Srivastava in Tel Aviv