video app. >> coming up at 2:30 p.m. eastern time, -- you can watch that live on c-span or on the free c-span now video app. >> the latest comments from officials as well as some of the latest polls on what americans

are thinking about the conflict between russia and the ukraine. good morning and welcome to washington journal. host: it is valentine's day and we will go ahead and start taking your calls. this one for cbs came out over the weekend. russia's say -- ukraine either stay out. any negotiations around the situation with the ukraine. they say stopping further russian influence in the region and defending democracy. more democrats feel the u.s. should side with the ukraine. that is one of the recent polls.

the other one from yuka, they regularly do polling, they want to support ukraine but not with u.s. troops. they write that americans are in favor to many policy options to help ukraine but are firmly opposed to the u.s. sending troops into the country. most americans, 55% in their poll says this is a bad idea. especially republicans. 13% say this is a good idea. russian president vladimir putin will decide whether to invade ukraine. bordering eastern countries to prepare to support ukraine. a couple of snapchat -- a couple of snapshot polls on how americans are feeling. what are your thoughts? what is the best way for the u.s. to respond to russia? (202) 748-8001, four

republicans. (202) 748-8000, for democrats. (202) 748-8002, independents. (202) 748-8003, for all others. [video clip] >> we have seen a dramatic build up in such a way they could launch a military action, essentially at any time. they could do so this coming week. it is still a ways to go. therefore, we cannot predict the day or time that they might attack. we are watching very carefully for the possibility there is a false flag operation to kick off russian action, in which russian intelligence services conduct

some kind of attack on russian forces in ukraine or on russian citizens and ukrainians. >> russian intelligence is already claiming something is happening. >> the russian media has been laying the groundwork for this publicly. trying to condition their public that some kind of attack. the russians are claiming they are the ones under threat, despite the threat they have a mass more than 100,000 forces. on the border of their neighbor. not just on their own territory but on the territory in della reese which is the country that borders ukraine to the north. host: on cbs's face the nation

yesterday, they are reporting the u.s. is preparing to withdraw all personnel from the ukrainian capital within 48 hours. sources say at cbs news.com. your thought to the response of what it should be? in massachusetts, the independent line. caller: i think the question should be reversed. how should russia react to the u.s.. russia is on his own border. it is packing troops and arms into the eastern european countries there. god for bid the people there are going to get nailed. all those countries like poland, you -- romania, this could

possibly escalate. host: let's hear from oliver in virginia,, crestline. caller: thank god joe biden is in the white house right now. donald trump stepped out on the world stage with vladimir putin. he was a disgrace and downed the

american intelligence during the russian invasion to his the -- of president putin. i am glad the joe biden administration is going to do the right thing. so far, they have been able to hold off the russians. the intelligence they are getting from the intelligence agencies, i think they kind of stalled putin. he does not know what to do or he is waiting until --. i am praying he doesn't go in and attacked those people for no reason. thank god joe biden is there because it is obvious donald trump had friends in russia and was standing there and disgrace the whole country. i am glad with joe biden. it is pretty amazing that fox news continuously pushes that

donald trump was the toughest one on record and we all know that was a joke. thank you. host: the olympics will end this coming weekend. the super bowl, the rams defeating the bengals 21 to 22 win the super bowl. the swift reaction to an invasion and president biden told ukraine -- response loosely and precisely to any further aggression to his country. they write a day earlier, mr. biden -- swift and severe caused a russia moves against ukraine. nearly no change in the russian stance. u.s. officials said severe

conflict has led to canceled costs -- canceled flights in ukraine. u.s. support would allow to prevent panic. he also asked for concrete guarantees saying u.s. security is impossible without the security of ukraine. the president returned from the pentagon. yesterday on fox news saying that time it may be running short. [video clip] >> one phone call yesterday with vladimir putin said that is now on hold for several weeks. is that a sign after that phone call yesterday that time is running out for diplomacy? >> it is certainly not a sign things are moving in the right direction. it is not a sign that mr. putin has any intentions to de-escalate tensions and it is not a sign that he is

recommitting himself to a diplomatic path forward. it gives us cause for optimism. >> -- said today we may be on the verge of war in europe. the germany chancellor is going to be traveling to moscow this week to meet with vladimir putin. it is a last ditch effort to avoid an all out war in europe. >> we recognize the time seems to be shrinking. that gives us all cause for concern. we said and we still believe today, there is a time and we still believe there is a way to de-escalate tensions and find a way out of here. the war in ukraine can be avoided. we welcome these moves by european allies as they try to engage mr. putin diplomatically. host: this morning, from the bbc

this morning, ukraine six meeting with russia within 48 hours to discuss buildup. foreign ministers said -- the next step was requesting a meeting within the next 48 hours. transparency about russia's plan. the bbc writes that russia has denied any plans to invade ukraine despite someone hundred thousand russian soldiers on ukraine's border. steve says, "if ukrainians want help, give them help. i know a friend son who just went to romania, 19, deployed because of this peer -- because of this."

a process already releasing -- already policing over the globe. why go there? what is the best response to this russian threat. we will go to our republican line in kansas city kansas. -- in kansas city, kansas. caller: i think we should put the 82nd air force brigade around -- and say "come on, vladimir. come on." thank you. caller: good morning. military conflict can be diverted. at this point, this is a very

interesting topic altogether. i think our current stance on russia is detrimental on the world stage. the pipeline from germany, that would be very helpful as a whole. they might try to manipulate markets. all the various should try harder and be more sensitive. host: on natural gas, this is

from senator john horton from texas who tweeted, "terminals are loaded tankers -- pollutants energy extortion." we go to james in north carolina. james, are you there? charlotte, north carolina, james, are you there? i lost it there. we will go to terry in canton, north carolina on the republican line. good morning, terry. caller: good morning, c-span. we do not need to be at enough -- at another war. we have had enough wars. i think this country has had enough of war. what i would really like to say, i do not think we should believe any of you in the media about russia. you lied to us about russia for the last five years. you should be leading off today with --.

the democratic caller calling about putin and trump, we found out that was a lie. hillary clinton campaign did spy on donald trump. this is worse than watergate. you in the media, every dam one of you -- everyone of you. host: here is there -- i was talking about an article in the washington journal. here is their headline, linking the 2016 hillary clinton campaign aimed at donald trump before and after he won the presidential election. special counselor alleged in a report friday that a tech

company working with an attorney for the -- the washington times writes that president trump has long maintained democrat spied on him. the republican said this weekend filing was even more expensive -- campaign was even more expensive. caller: good morning. this whole thing with ukraine doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is a sure sign of insanity. the diplomacy that biden is using did not work for -- with putin, it did not work with oh

biden for putin and it is not working for biden with putin. he knows exactly how far he can go. he knows exactly what he can do and we stand there helpless because we are going by our 60 rulebook on diplomacy we have been using which has failed every single time. these people are calling in and crying about president trump and putin, well, i tell you what, putin didn't invade anybody when trump was president. he did not raise any armies in threat when trump was president. china didn't invade taiwan when trump was president. because he kept them off balance. putin couldn't afford to invade anybody under trump because they

were having trouble just keeping food in the country. we need to look at what is really going on. biden forced up gas prices. now putin can afford to invade people. nobody is saying that at all. we are being lied to. we are being told that biden is handling this when he is actually exacerbating this. the president of ukraine is saying, "my god, biden is going to cause an invasion with his big mouth." host: the national security advisor was on face the nation yesterday. on that program he said what the administration is telling americans in ukraine. [video clip] >> you said friday in the briefing room american should get out within the next 24 to 48 hours. what are you telling americans who remain? should they go underground? is it too late to leave now?

>> as long as commercial transport options are available, americans should take advantage of them. we hope based on our warnings that americans would have gotten out by now. as long as those commercial transit options are available, they should move out air or rail or road as rapidly as possible. as i said also on friday, if there is military action, a war between russia and ukraine started by a russian invasion, we are not sending in american officers to fight in that war. americans should get out now to avail themselves. host: asking this morning on washington journal, what is the best response to the russian threat? (202) 748-8001, is the line to

call if you are republican. (202) 748-8000, if you are democrat. (202) 748-8002, independents. military exercise underway in belarus. in that eastern european country, the russian -- lithuania, estonia because of the possibility of a game changing russian prisons on or near their borders. they write that between 20000 and 30,000 russian troops along with warplanes, missiles have moved in in belarus in recent weeks. the exercise called united

respond 2022 began thursday. russian officials said the troops will go home when the exercise in on february 20. let's hear from belinda, san benito, texas, democrat line. good morning. caller: my opinion is that i think ukraine should join nato. as soon as possible because trump -- putin does not want them to join so they will be happy. caller: good morning. host: good morning. caller: i think we should send times of military equipment and blanket like we did under the obama administration.

have you ever to describe -- have you ever tried to destroy a with a blanket? it doesn't work. they need military --. sometimes i think the democratic party is in cahoots with the oceanic party in russia. host: so you think the military we have given ukraine so far over the last couple of years is insufficient? caller: yes. definitely. we need to probably triple what we have sent. you cannot throw food at a tank. are you crazy? host: here is anne on the democratic line in pennsylvania. caller: i understand a lack of

leadership in our european allies. i am a regular-season -- citizen who reads the paper every day. in 10 years ago when i read about the alliance and the oil in russia, i just shook my head. i don't understand why our leadership is so lacking. thank you. host: to kernersville, west virginia. lawrence is on the republican line. go ahead, you are on. caller: all putin wants is to keep the missiles out of ukraine. and once nato keeps the missiles out, whatever they want to do, they can move their missiles on the border. they have got missiles everywhere else in europe. they can call on russia anytime they want to.

why do they have to have folks with the ukraine? russia can do the same thing, too. host: from the bbc on the expansion of nato may be helpful as we talk about the crisis there. over the years, ukraine obviously in the middle. the troubled nations and joining nato. the 14 nations in the gold are those who joined since 1997. he is saying that he agreed with

president biden. [video clip] get out. if there is a pending invasion, use common sense. leave. host: asking you this morning on "washington journal" the best response to the russian threat in the russian-ukraine conflict. you can send a text