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More than a dozen countries have urged their citizens to leave Ukraine amid warnings from Western powers that an invasion by Russia may be imminent.
The United States, the United Kingdom and Germany are among those that have told their nationals to leave.
Moscow has amassed about 100,000 troops along Ukraine's border but denies any intention of invading.
In a phone call, US President Joe Biden again warned Russian leader Vladimir Putin of the costs of any invasion.
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said warnings of an invasion could cause panic, which he called "our enemies' best friend."
The White House has warned that an invasion could happen at any time and could begin with aerial bombardment. Russia has described such claims as "provocative speculation."
Non-essential personnel have been ordered to leave the US embassy in Ukraine's capital Kiev and consular services will be suspended from Sunday, although "a small consular presence" will remain in the western city of Lviv "to deal with emergencies."
Canada is also transferring staff from its embassy in Lviv, near the border with Poland, Canadian media reported. The UK ambassador to Ukraine, Melinda Simmons, tweeted that she and a "key team" were staying in Kiev.
Russia itself is also making changes, saying it will "optimize the staffing" of its diplomats in Ukraine, citing "possible acts of provocation by the Kiev regime or third countries."
The US has also withdrawn about 150 troops who were training Ukrainian soldiers from the country. And Dutch airline KLM said it would stop flights to Ukraine, effective immediately, Dutch media reported.
Zelensky said that if Western forces had any firm evidence of an imminent invasion, he had not yet seen it.
"I think there is too much information in the media about a deep, large-scale war," he said."
"We understand all the risks, we understand that they exist. If you or anyone else has additional 100% reliable information about the Russian Federation invading Ukraine please share it with us."
Many countries, including Australia, Italy, Israel, the Netherlands and Japan, have told their citizens to leave Ukraine. Some have also evacuated their diplomatic staff and families.
Biden told Putin that any invasion would result in swift and severe costs for Russia, White House notes on the call said.
"While the United States remains ready to engage in diplomacy we are equally prepared for other scenarios," it said."
The Kremlin described the call as amid "peak hysteria" from the US and its allies and said Putin again told his counterpart that they had not taken care of Russia's security concerns. But both leaders would continue to talk, he said."
French President Emmanuel Macron also spoke by phone with Putin on Saturday, telling him that "a frank dialogue was not compatible with escalation," according to notes released by the French embassy.
Source: skai.gr / BBC
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