Ukraine Crisis Inches Toward Military Conflict, Russia and U.S. Both Moving Troops Toward Region

High-ranking Russian and Ukrainian officials are attending talks in Berlin seeking a diplomatic solution to avoid war.

It comes as Russia begins ten days of military drills today in neighboring Belarus, an ally of Russia's authoritarian ruler Vladimir Putin.

The Russian Defense Ministry released video of S-400 missile systems arriving in the country. The Kremlin has also moved troops from Siberia and the far east for the drills, adding to the 100,000 or more Russian troops already in the area.

Meanwhile, President Biden has approved a plan for U.S. troops in Poland to help thousands of Americans get out of Ukraine if Russia invades. About 1,700 U.S. soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division are going to Poland and about half have now arrived.

"What we're trying to achieve here is a de-escalation of the tensions and a diplomatic path forward," said Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby. "Nobody wants to see, except with the exception of possibly Mr. Putin, any military conflict breaking out in Europe."

But some critics charge the administration is really working to avoid a repeat of the chaotic pullout from Afghanistan.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki addressed those issues in Wednesday's press briefing.

"So, what people should understand is that the United States does not typically do mass evacuations. Of course, the situation in Afghanistan was unique for many reasons, including that it was the end of a 20 year war. We were bringing a war to an end. We were not trying to prevent a war, as we are certainly in this case. There are a range of means that individuals and Americans can depart from Ukraine, and we've been encouraging them to do exactly that," she said.

In October, the administration estimated roughly 6,600 Americans were living in Ukraine.

Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict fueled by Russian military aggression since 2014. 

After Ukraine's Kremlin-friendly president was ousted at that time, Russia took numerous actions, including seizing the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. And more than 14,000 people were killed in the violence after Russian-backed rebels targeted Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine.