Joe Biden to hold National Security Council meeting on Ukraine: White House

"President Biden continues to monitor the evolving situation in Ukraine and is being updated regularly about events on the ground by his national security team," said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

Washington: US President Joe Biden will hold a meeting of the National Security Council on the situation in Ukraine on Sunday (February 20, 2022), White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says.

"President Biden continues to monitor the evolving situation in Ukraine and is being updated regularly about events on the ground by his national security team. They reaffirmed that Russia could launch an attack against Ukraine at any time," Psaki said in a Saturday statement.

According to the White House, Biden has already received an update on the meetings held at the Munich Security Conference, including those with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"Tomorrow, the President will convene a meeting of the National Security Council on the situation in Ukraine," Psaki said.

Western countries and Kiev have been accusing Russia of preparing for an alleged "invasion" of Ukraine. Moscow has denied these accusations, repeatedly stating that it is not threatening anyone and at the same time expressing strong concerns over NATO`s military activity near the Russian borders, which it deems a threat to its national security. 

Russia has pointed out that rising fears of an "invasion" in Ukraine appear to be used as a pretext for advancing NATO`s military presence further eastward in Europe.

According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the ongoing turmoil is being deliberately promoted by the West to cover up Kiev`s sabotage of the Minsk agreements.

The self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk People`s Republics (LPR and DPR) in Ukraine`s southeast (Donbas) announced the evacuation of their citizens to Russia`s Rostov Region on Friday over the escalation of tensions on the contact line. DPR and LPR have been reporting ongoing shelling of Donbas settlements by Kiev forces since Thursday.