Jennifer Griffin, Caitlin McFallFebruary 18, 2022, 5:20 PM·3 min readIn this article:

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• Volodymyr Zelensky6th President of Ukraine

NATO allies, including White House officials, are concerned by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to depart Kyiv for the Munich Security Conference this weekend, sources told Fox News Friday.

Allies of the 30-member alliance are reportedly worried that Russia could exploit the president’s absence as tension in Eastern Europe has reached a boiling point not seen in decades.

STATE DEPARTMENT CALLS EVACUATIONS IN EASTERN UKRAINE 'FALSE FLAG OPERATIONS,' WARNS OF DISTRACTIONS

Zelenskyy, who is set to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday, is expected to be a key target if Russia does successfully invade Kyiv, sources confirmed.

President Biden said Friday he is "convinced" that Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to invade Ukraine.

In answer to questions from reporters as to whether he believed it would be a mistake for Zelensky to leave Ukraine at this time Biden said, "It may not be…the wise choice, but it's his decision."

"That's a judgment for him to make," Biden said. "It's in the pursuit of a diplomatic solution."

A senior U.S. defense official told Fox News Digital there is a strong possibility of a "significant invasion" by the Russian military in the coming days and Kyiv is its sites.

The official said Russian military forces have left their barracks and that roughly 40-50% of Putin's troops have moved into attack positions — putting them within striking distance of the Ukrainian border.

Putin now has 120-125 Battalion Tactical Groups amassed along Ukraine's border. All Special Forces have been mobilized, and rocket forces along with ballistic missile units are within range of the capital.

Destabilization efforts that the U.S. and NATO have warned against "has begun," the senior U.S. defense official said.

Tensions in Eastern Ukraine, where Russia-backed separatists have clashed with the Ukrainian military since 2014, mounted this week and resulted in an exchange of artillery shelling that began Thursday.

(editor：)