Russia-Ukraine updates: US to ban Russian carriers from its airspace

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday told reporters in Lithuania he agrees with President Joe Biden that Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a decision to invade Ukraine. 

“For months now, Russia has been building up its military forces in and around Ukraine, including in Belarus. They are uncoiling and are now poised to strike,” Austin said

Austin told reporters that there is still a diplomatic path to end the situation. 

"Conflict is not inevitable, Mr. Putin can choose a different path,” he said. 

"I believe that we should continue to try up until the very last minute until it's no longer possible,” he added later. “ But I think I think if you look at the stance that he is in today it's apparent that he has made a decision and that they're moving into the right positions to be able to conduct an attack.”

Austin said Russia has the military capability in the region "to move anytime he chooses."

As he told Martha Raddatz in her exclusive interview on Friday, those forces include not only combat forces, but logistics, combat aviation, field hospitals and command and control operations. 

The U.S. currently has 100 American troops in Lithuania and it appears that a major topic of discussion between the two leaders was setting up a permanent American military presence in the Baltic country. Austin said he had no announcements to make about the possibility but Lithuania's Minister of National Defense Arvydas Anušauskas acknowledged that the topic took up much of their discussion.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

The foreign ministers of the Group of 7 countries met in Munich on Saturday, amid the looming threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"The increase in ceasefire violations along the line of contact in recent days is highly concerning. We condemn the use of heavy weaponry and indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, which constitute a clear violation of the Minsk Agreements," the group said in a statement. 

The group, made up of the U.S., UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada, also met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, after holding their own meeting. 

Kuleba said he would travel to Brussels then Washington, to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday. Blinken is scheduled to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday.

In a joint statement, the G-7 foreign ministers threatened Russia with massive consequences if it invades Ukraine. 

"While we are ready to explore diplomatic solutions to address legitimate security concerns, Russia should be in no doubt that any further military aggression against Ukraine will have massive consequences, including financial and economic sanctions on a wide array of sectoral and individual targets that would impose severe and unprecedented costs on the Russian economy," the G-7 said. 

Amid continued false claims by Russian-controlled separatists of Ukrainian attacks, the group says these claims "must be seen as laying the ground for military escalation" and calls the increase in shelling "highly concerning." The group urges Russia to "use its influence over the self-proclaimed republics to exercise restraint and de-escalate."

Blinken also met one-on-one with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, with his British and Australian counterparts under the AUKUS security alliance umbrella, and with his Saudi counterpart amid the quiet U.S. push for Saudi Arabia to break with Russia over oil and increase production.

-ABC News' Conor Finnegan

Vice President Kamala Harris and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in Munich for the first time, just one day after President Joe Biden said it wouldn't be wise for him to leave his country. 

Harris told Zelenskyy this is a "decisive moment" in history, making this an “important meeting” for them to be having, among other reasons.

Harris reiterated the U.S. position on the sovereignty of Ukraine and warned, again, of sanctions if Russia invades. 

“If Russia further invades your country, as I mentioned earlier today, we will impose swift and severe economic sanctions. We have been clear about that. We are also clear that we would prefer that this would be resolved in a diplomatic way, and we have remained open to a diplomatic path to resolution. However, if Russia takes aggressive action against Ukraine, we are prepared to implement and to do that work in a unified way with our allies around the world,” Harris said. 

Speaking through a translator, Zelenskyy said that the only thing his country wants is to have “peace” and expressed his gratitude to the US for its support, including defense capabilities.

-ABC News' Justin Gomez

Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, just hours after President Joe Biden said he is convinced Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to invade Ukraine. 

“I am certain we all recognize this year's gathering is unlike those of the recent past, not since the end of the Cold War as this forum convened under such dire circumstances today, as we are all aware, the foundation of European security is under direct threat in Ukraine," Harris told the crowd. 

Harris laid out how the United States believes an invasion would get under way. 

"Russia will plead ignorance and innocence. It will create false pretext for invasion, and it will amass troops and firepower in plain sight we now receive reports of what appears to be provocations and we see Russia spreading disinformation, lies and propaganda. Nonetheless, in a deliberate and coordinated effort, we together are one, exposing the truth and two, speaking with a unifying voice," Harris said. 

Harris reiterated that the U.S. has worked to find a way to de-escalate and remains open to diplomacy, but Russia's actions do not match their words and would pay a price if they attack, she said.

"And let me be clear: I can say with absolute certainty, if Russia further invades Ukraine, the United States together with our allies and partners will impose significant and unprecedented economic costs," Harris said. 

Harris was joined by a bipartisan group of Democrats and Republicans to show U.S. commitment to the NATO partnership. 

Harris also noted U.S. efforts to bolster military posture, stressing, "our forces will not be deployed to fight inside Ukraine. But they will defend every inch of NATO territory since Russia launched its proxy war against Ukraine."

-ABC News' Molly Nagle