Flights to Ukraine are suspended or redirected amid the crisis

Some airlines have canceled or diverted flights to Ukraine amid heightened fears that an invasion by Russia is imminent, despite intense weekend talks between the Kremlin and the West.

In an hour-long conversation Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Joe Biden said the invasion of Ukraine would cause "widespread human suffering" and that the West is committed to diplomacy to end the crisis.

He added, however, that they were "equally prepared for other scenarios".

Russia denies intending to invade, but has amassed more than 100,000 troops near the border with Ukraine and sent troops to training in neighboring Belarus.

U.S. officials say Russia's growing firepower has reached a point where it could invade very quickly.

The Dutch airline, KLM, has canceled flights to Ukraine until further notice.

Dutch sensitivity to potential danger in Ukrainian airspace is high after a Malaysian plane crashed in 2014 over an area of ​​eastern Ukraine led by Russian-backed rebels. All 298 people on board died, including 198 Dutch nationals.

Ukrainian airline SkyUp said Sunday that its flight from Madeira, Portugal to Kiev was diverted to the Moldovan capital Chisinau after the Irish airline lessor said it was suspending flights into Ukrainian airspace.

The Putin-Biden call, following a phone call between Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron earlier in the day, came at a critical moment for what has become the biggest security crisis between Russia and the West since the Cold War. US officials believe they have only a few days to prevent a major invasion and bloodshed in Ukraine.

Ndërsa SHBA-të dhe aleatët e saj të NATO-s nuk kanë plane të dërgojnë trupa në Ukrainë për të luftuar Rusinë, një pushtim dhe sanksione ndëshkuese që do të rezultojnë mund të kenë jehonë përtej ish-republikës sovjetike, duke ndikuar në furnizimet me energji, tregjet globale dhe balancën e energjisë në Evropë.

Rusia po kërkon që Perëndimi t'i mbajë vendet ish-sovjetike jashtë NATO-s. Ajo gjithashtu dëshiron që NATO të përmbahet nga vendosja e armëve pranë kufirit të saj dhe të tërheqë forcat e aleancës nga Evropa Lindore – kërkesa të refuzuara kategorikisht nga Perëndimi.

Rusia dhe Ukraina janë përfshirë në një konflikt të ashpër që nga viti 2014, kur udhëheqësi miqësor i Ukrainës ndaj Kremlinit u përzu nga detyra nga një kryengritje popullore.

Moscow responded by annexing the Crimean peninsula and then backing a separatist uprising in eastern Ukraine, where fighting has killed more than 14,000 people.

A 2015 peace deal brokered by France and Germany helped halt large-scale fighting, but regular clashes have continued and efforts to reach a political solution have stalled.