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

A State Department spokesperson said the alert published Sunday warning Americans to avoid crowds and stay alert in places frequented by tourists and Westerners was issued “out of an abundance of caution,” stopping short of tying it directly to the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

“In recent days a number of Russian media outlets have reported on a spate of bomb threats being made against Russian public buildings, including metro stations, in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and elsewhere,” the spokesperson said in a statement. 

“The U.S. Department of State has no greater responsibility than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,” they said. “Out of an abundance of caution, and in line with our commitment to providing U.S. citizens with clear and timely information so they can make informed travel decisions, we published this alert.”

-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan

The White House released a one-sentence readout of President Joe Biden’s meeting that he convened of his National Security Council on Sunday over Ukraine and Russia’s military buildup, confirming that the meeting happened.

"Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. convened a meeting of the National Security Council to discuss the latest developments regarding Russia’s military buildup on the borders of Ukraine," the statement said in full.

The meeting lasted just over two hours, a White House official told ABC News, and a photo of the meeting tweeted by the White House showed CIA Director William Burns, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall. Name plates for DNI Avril Haines and Chief of Staff Ron Klain can also be seen on the table.

Also joining but not visible in the photo were Vice President Kamala Harris, who connected via phone from Air Force Two, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, according to a White House official. Granholm, Raimondo and Yellen joined the meeting given their roles in sanctions, export controls and energy, the official added.

- ABC News' Justin Gomez

The U.S. embassy in Moscow is warning Americans to avoid crowds and to stay alert in places frequented by tourists and Westerners. 

"According to media sources, there have been threats of attacks against shopping centers, railway and metro stations, and other public gathering places in major urban areas, including Moscow and St. Petersburg as well as in areas of heightened tension along the Russian border with Ukraine," the security alert, released Sunday, states.

It is unclear whether the alert is directly related to the heightened tensions over Russia's potential invasion of Ukraine or what "media sources" the embassy is referring to. 

"Have evacuation plans that do not rely on U.S. government assistance," the embassy advised.

-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan

Lower-level Russian tactical commanders have been given orders consistent with orders to invade Ukraine, U.S. officials tell ABC News. 

The news is consistent with statements previously made by President Joe Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who have said they believe U.S. intelligence indicates Putin has made a decision to invade Ukraine.

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez