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

Ukrainian officials said they have reclaimed a key military airport on the edge of Kyiv that had been seized by Russian special forces.

The Ukrainian Parliament’s official Telegram account said the Antonov Airport in Hostomel was now "fully under the control" of Ukrainian troops.

Deputy Interior Minister Anton Gerashchenko also said Ukrainian troops had managed to retake the airport, calling it “the first big victory!”

The move comes as the county prepares to bolster its forces.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered a general mobilization that calls up men of fighting age and reservists.

The order also allows the government to commandeer transport.

-ABC News' Patrick Reevell

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