BREAKING NEWS.

>> YOU ARE LIVE IN THE "CNN

NEWSROOM," JIM ACOSTA IN

WASHINGTON, LAST-DITCH EFFORTS

TO AVOID A RUSSIAN INVASION OF

UKRAINE OFFICIALS IN THE U.S.

SAY COULD BEGIN AT ANY TIME.

PRESIDENT BIDEN COULD BE ONE OF

THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL PHONE

CALLS OF HIS PRESIDENCY, A

62-MINUTE PHONE CONVERSATION

WARNING VLADIMIR PUTIN ABOUT

SPARKING A WAR THAT COULD

PRODUCE WIDESPREAD HUMAN

SUFFERING IN EUROPE.

A SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL

TELLS CNN RUSSIA MAY ATTACK

ANYWAY.

OTHER WORRYING SIGNS THE U.S.

BELIEVES DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS

COULD BE IN VAIN.

THE U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

HAS TAKEN SOME U.S. FORCES OUT

OF UKRAINE MOVING THEM ELSEWHERE

IN EUROPE.

THE STATE DEPARTMENT HAS ORDERED

ALL NON-EMERGENCY STAFF TO LEAVE

THE U.S. EMBASSY IN KYEV AND

MAKING PERSONAL PHONE CALLS TO

OTHER AMERICANS IN THE COUNTRY

WARNING IT IS PAST TIME TO GET

OUT AND NO ONE IS COMING TO

RESCUE YOU IF UKRAINE BECOMES A

COMBAT ZONE.

RUSSIA HAS UKRAINE SURROUNDED ON

THREE SIDES, THE WHITE HOUSE HAS

AN INVASION LIKELY BEGIN WITH

AERIAL BOMBING, MISSILE ATTACKS

AND A RAPID ASSAULT ON KYEV,

POTENTIALLY DURING THE OLYMPICS.

CNN IS COVERING EVERY ANGLE OF

THE CRISIS.

KYLIE ATWOOD AND ARLETTE SAENZ.

WHAT MORE DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE

PHONE CALL BETWEEN THE PRESIDENT

AND VLADIMIR PUTIN?

THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT

CONVERSATION THAT JUST TOOK

PLACE.

>> Reporter: THIS IS A HIGH

STAKES CONVERSATION BETWEEN

PRESIDENT BIDEN AND RUSSIAN

PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN AND

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL

SAYS THERE WAS NO FUNDAMENTAL

CHANGE TO THE DYNAMIC UNFOLDING

OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST FEW

WEEKS.

THE LIKELIHOOD OF RUSSIA

INVADING UKRAINE APPEARS TO BE

INCREASING.

THE OFFICIAL DESCRIBES THE

CONVERSATION AS PROFESSIONAL AND

SUBSTANTIVE BUT SAID RUSSIA MAY

MOVE FORWARD WITH A MILITARY

ATTACK ANYWAYS.

THE PHONE CALL BETWEEN BIDEN AND

PUTIN LASTED JUST OVER AN HOUR.

THE PRESIDENT HOLDING THAT

SECURE CALL FROM CAMP DAVID AND

I WANT TO READ A PORTION OF THE

WHITE HOUSE STATEMENT REGARDING

THAT CALL.

THE PRESIDENT WARNED THERE WOULD

BE SEVERE COSTS IMPOSED ON

RUSSIA IF IT MOVES FORWARD WITH

AN INVASION AND PRESIDENT BIDEN

REITERATED A FURTHER RUSSIAN

INVASION OF UKRAINE WOULD

PRODUCE WIDESPREAD HUMAN

SUFFERING AND DIMINISH RUSSIA'S

STANDING.

PRESIDENT BIDEN WAS CLEAR WITH

PRESIDENT PUTIN THAT WHILE THE

UNITED STATES REMAINS PREPARED

TO ENGAGE IN DIPLOMACY IN FULL

COORDINATION WITH OUR ALLIES AND

PARTNERS WE ARE EQUALLY PREPARED

FOR OTHER SCENARIOS.

THE U.S. AND ALLIES ARE WORKING

ON A PACKAGE OF SANCTIONS

IMPOSED AGAINST RUSSIA IF IT

MOVES FORWARD WITH AN INVASION

AND COMMITTED TO PROVIDING

UKRAINE WITH SOME DEFENSE

CAPABILITIES TO TRY TO PROTECT

THEMSELVES.

WE'VE SEEN THE U.S. PLANNING AND

DEPLOYING THOUSANDS OF TROOPS TO

NEIGHBORING POLAND OVER THE

COURSE OF THIS PAST WEEK, OF

THOSE EFFORTS TO PUT MILITARY

POSITIONING, IN EASTERN EUROPEAN

NATO ALLY COMPANIES IN AN EFFORT

TO BOLSTER NATO ALLIES OF THE

U.S. MADE CLEAR THEY WILL NOT BE

SENDING AMERICAN TROOPS INTO

UKRAINE.

THE U.S. ALSO TRYING TO PROTECT

AMERICAN INTERESTS IN THE

COUNTRY EVACUATING MOST OF THE

NON-EMERGENCY PERSONNEL AT THE

U.S. EMBOSSY IN KYEV.

THEY'VE WARNED AMERICANS NEED TO

LEAVE THE COUNTRY IMMEDIATELY

THIS WEEKEND, AS THE SECURITY

SITUATION COULD CONTINUE TO

DEVOLVE IN THE COMING DAYS.

THE QUESTION IS WHAT ARE THESE

NEXT STEPS.

PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS SAID, THE

HOUSE SAYS IN THAT CALL

PRESIDENT BIDEN SAYS HE AND HIS

TEAM WILL REMAIN IN CONTACT WITH

RUSSIA OVER THE COURSE OF THE

PAST FEW DAYS.

THE WHITE HOUSE HOPING DIPLOMACY

COULD HELP LEAD TO DE-ESCALATION

BUT IT'S UNCLEAR WHETHER THAT

MIGHT BE POSSIBLE IF PUTIN

DECIDES TO MOVE FORWARD WITH AN

INVASION WHICH THE WHITE HOUSE

SAYS THEY DO NOT HAVE FULL

VISIBILITY ON IN HIS CURRENT

THINKING AND WHETHER HE'LL MAKE

THE DECISION TO DO THAT.

>> ARLETTE THAT WAS VERY MUCH.

NIC, WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM

THE KREMLIN?

I SUPPOSE MORE DENIALS, MORE OF

THE SAME?

>>Y, YES, THAT SUMS IT UP,

DOESN'T IT.

THE DIPLOMATIC DIALOGUE MHAS NO

SHIFTED.

HIS SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPUTY IN

THE OFFICE THE CONVERSATION CAME

FROM A POSITION OF HYSTERIA OF

THESE ACCUSATIONS THAT RUSSIA IS

ABOUT TO INVADE UKRAINE.

I THINK THE CENTRAL THEME FROM

PRESIDENT BIDEN'S PRESIDENT

PUTIN FROM THE RUSSIAN

PERSPECTIVE WAS TO REITERATE

THEY HAVE NOT HAD THEIR CORE

ISSUES ADRESSED WHICH IS TO DENY

UKRAINE ACCESS TO NATO AND INAT

TO GO BACK TO THE 1997 POSITION.

PRESIDENT MACRON HEARD A VERSION

OF THAT WHEN HE SPOKE TO

PRESIDENT PUTIN, SECRETARY OF

STATE ANTONY BLINKEN HEARD THAT

WHEN HE SPOKE WITH SERGEY LAVROV

THE FOREIGN MINISTER.

I THINK THE TWO OTHER THREADS

THAT CAME OUT OF TODAY WAS RUSH,

IN THE SORT OF ANTONY

BLINKEN/LAVROV CALL AND THE

PUTIN/MACRON CALL, RUSSIA TRYING

TO PUT PRESSURE ON THE UNITED

STATES, ON FRANCE, JEREMY

GERMANY AND OTHERS TO PUT

PRESSURE ON UKRAINE TO COMPLY IN

THEIR VIEW WITH THE MINSK

AGREEMENT, TO GET TALK WITH THE

RUSSIAN-BACKED PRO SEPARATISTS,

AND THEY DON'T WANT TO GET INTO

THOSE CONVERSATIONS.

SO THERE WAS THAT PRESSURE

COMING FROM RUSSIA ON THAT.

THE OTHER PRESSURE FROM BLINKEN

TO LAVROV AND MACRON TO PUTIN,

WAS IF YOU ARE REALLY SERIOUS

ABOUT HAVING A DIPLOMATIC

OFF-RAMP AND WANT TO GET INTO

THAT CONVERSATION, DEET SCLAT,

SOMETHING WE HEAR FROM THE U.S.

SIDE AND EUROPEAN SIDE OVER

RECENT WEEKS.

IT'S A TEST OF RUSSIA'S

ACCIDENT.

ARE YOU KEEPING THIS DIPLOMATIC

SPACE GOING SO YOU CAN BUILD UP

FORCES?

IT SEEMS TO BE TRYING TO TEST

OUT THE RUSSIAN POSITION AND

JUST SAY LOOK, WE THINK YOU

MIGHT BE ABOUT TO INVADE, IF

YOU'RE NOT DEESCALATE AND HAVE

THIS CONVERSATION.

THAT'S THE PATH, TRYING TO GET

SOME COMMITMENT THERE.

WHEN I SAY THE DIPLOMATIC DIAL

HASN'T MOVED, RUSSIA IS NOT

GIVING VISIBILITY ON THAT AT

ALL.

>> FASCINATING.

NIC, BRINKSMANSHIP, NO QUESTION

ABOUT IT.

KYLIE, THE U.S. MADE CLEAR

AMERICANS NEED TO EVACUATE,

TELLING EMBASSY STAFF TO GET OUT

AS WELL.

SOUNDS LIKE THERE ARE SOME

AMERICANS REFUSING TO LEAVE.

>> A SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT

OFFICIAL REITERATED TODAY THAT

AMERICANS SHOULD LEAVE SAYING

THAT IT IS PAST TIME FOR THEM TO

LEAVE THE COUNTRY, BECAUSE THEY

WARNED THAT THESE ATTACKS THAT

COULD BE COMING FROM RUSSIA

WON'T BE DISCRIMINATING AGAINST

ANYONE.

THE INCOMING AERIAL BOMBINGS

THAT ARE POSSIBLE THAT THE

UNITED STATES BELIEVES RUSSIA

WOULD BEGIN ITS CAMPAIGN WITH

COULD HIT ANYONE AND WE HAVE

HEARD THIS MULTIPLE TIMES FROM

STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS FROM

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS

OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS, STATE

DEPARTMENT SAYING THEY HAVE IN

TOUCH IN RECENT DAYS WITH

THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS WHO ARE

STILL IN UKRAINE.

AS YOU SAID, JIM, THEY'RE A

SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF THOSE

AMERICANS WHO DON'T WANT TO

LEAVE THE COUNTRY.

THEY ARE ESSENTIALLY URGING THEM

TO CHANGE THEIR MIND AND DO SO

BEFORE THERE COULD BE A WAR

ZONE.

THE SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT

OFFICIAL SAYING IF THERE IS A

WAR ZONE THIS DIMINISHES THE

U.S. GOVERNMENT'S CAPABILITY TO

HELP OUT ANY AMERICANS AND ALSO

MAKING IT CLEAR THEY HAVE NO

PLANS FOR A MILITARY EVACUATION

TO HELP THOSE AMERICANS STILL IN

THE COUNTRY AND WE SHOULD NOTE

THE U.S. EMBASSY HAS DRAWN DOWN

MOST OF ITS PERSONNEL, MOST OF

THE DIPLOMATS LEAVING THE

COUNTRY.

A SMALL NUMBER ARE STILL STAYING

AT THE EMBASSY IN KYEV, AND A

SMALL NUMBER STAYING IN A CITY

TO THE REST OF WEST UKRAINE,

OBVIOUSLY FURTHER AWAY FROM THE

BORDERS FROM RUSSIA TO INVADE.

IT'S SIGNIFICANT THE TATE

DEPARTMENT MADE THESE ACTIONS

AND THIS DECISION BEFORE T