Biden to Ukraine: 'Get ready for the Russian invasion'

 US President Joe Biden warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the real possibility of a Russian invasion in February.

Zelensky in turn urged the West not to unleash "panic" in the crisis with Russia.

Warning signals also from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: "Russia is continuing to amass military units" on the border with Ukraine but also in Belarus, "we are working best for a diplomatic solution but we are prepared for the worst ". 

"We strongly encourage Russia to withdraw" from the Ukrainian borders and to "follow the diplomatic path", said US Joint Chief of Staff Mark Milley in a briefing.

"Success here is through dialogue," he added.

Meanwhile, Moscow has denied entry to several European Union officials. Russian diplomacy made it known today in a statement, specifying that it was a response to a policy of "absurd unilateral restrictions" by Brussels. Among the banned officials are representatives of the police, legislative and executive bodies of some EU countries who are "personally responsible for spreading the anti-Russian policy".

Macron to Putin, find means for de-escalation -

Emmanuel Macron spoke on the phone this morning with Vladimir Putin to address the Ukrainian crisis and will speak tonight at 7 pm with the leader of Kiev Volodymyr Zelensky.

The conversation between Macron and Putin, explains the Elysée, lasted over an hour.

In the course of the conversation, Macron confirmed that he wanted to find the means for a de-escalation in the Ukrainian crisis by relaunching, in particular, the implementation of the 2015 Minsk peace accords in the framework of the Normandy format composed of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine.

On January 24, the Elysée had made it known that Macron would propose a "de-escalation path" to Putin.