Biden meets national security team on Russia, Ukraine, official says

[February 22, 2022]    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden is meeting his national security team on Monday about Russia and Ukraine, a White House official said, as Russian President Vladimir Putin weighed a request by two regions of eastern Ukraine to be recognized as independent, a move that could give Moscow a reason to openly send in troops.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks on his administration's efforts to pursue deterrence and diplomacy in response to Russia’s military buildup on the border of Ukraine, from the White House in Washington, U.S., February 18, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the White House official made the comments after a Reuters eyewitness saw Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and General Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrive at the White House on the U.S. Presidents Day federal holiday.

(Reporting By Jeff Mason and Katharine Jackson; Writing by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Andrea Ricci)

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