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

President Joe Biden briefed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on the evolving situation in Ukraine during a phone call Thursday afternoon.

McConnell declined to provide more details about the conversation but told reporters that he urged the president, both publicly and privately, to "ratchet up the sanctions."

Representatives from Schumer and Pelosi's offices acknowledged the call but didn't provide more details.

-ABC News' Allie Pecorin, Mariam Khan and Ben Gittleson

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, an intergovernmental organization monitoring the situation in Ukraine, announced Thursday that it is evacuating its staff from the country "as early as possible and feasible dependent on the relevant factors on the ground."

The organization has had a team in place since 2014, reporting on all developments in the country. It included citizens from more than 40 different countries.

OSCE Secretary-General Helga Schmid said in a statement that the relocation was meant to be temporary.

"The safety of the dedicated women and men who serve as impartial eyes and ears of the international community on the ground throughout the country is imperative," she said in a statement.

-ABC News' Conor Finnegan

French President Emmanuel Macron urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop its actions in Ukraine during a phone call Thursday afternoon, according to French officials.

"After speaking to the Ukrainian President, and in consultation with him, the President called Vladimir Putin to demand an immediate halt to Russian military operations, recalling that Russia was exposing itself to massive sanctions," according to the Elysée.

Russian media also confirmed the phone call between the two leaders took place. The Kremlin press service said Putin "gave an exhaustive explanation of the reasons and circumstances for the decision to conduct a special military operation."

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

Former President Barack Obama released a statement Thursday afternoon condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.  

Obama warned that the invasion threatened "the foundation of the international order and security."

"For some time now, we have seen the forces of division and authoritarianism make headway around the world, mounting an assault on the ideals of democracy, rule of law, equality, individual liberty, freedom of expression and worship, and self-determination. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows where these dangerous trends can lead – and why they cannot be left unchallenged," he said.

Obama called on Americans and other world leaders to support the Ukrainian people and President Joe Biden's sanctions on Russia.

"For over the long term, we all face a choice, between a world in which might makes right and autocrats are free to impose their will through force, or a world in which free people everywhere have the power to determine their own future," Obama said.