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

Biden will announce the news in his State of the Union address, a source said.

Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymr Zelenskyy, are putting up "stiff resistance," according to U.S. officials.

The attack began Feb. 24 as Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation."

Russians moving from Belarus towards Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, don't appear to have advanced closer towards the city since coming within about 20 miles, although smaller advanced groups have been fighting gun battles with Ukrainian forces inside the capital since at least Friday.

Russia has been met by sanctions from the U.S., Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting Russia's economy and Putin himself.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Feb 21, 2022, 10:42 AM EST

Biden meeting with national security team

President Joe Biden is meeting Monday with his national security team, the White House confirmed.

Seen arriving at the White House shortly after 10 a.m. were: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley, Vice President Kamala Harris, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and CIA director William Burns.

-ABC News' Mary Bruce

Feb 21, 2022, 9:37 AM EST

Russia claims to destroy 2 Ukrainian armored vehicles amid fears of pretext to attack 

Russia has claimed to have destroyed two Ukrainian armored vehicles and killed five Ukrainians it claimed crossed into Russian territory, in unverified reports as Russia appears to be intensifying efforts to build a pretext to attack Ukraine. 

Russia’s military and its FSB intelligence service claimed a Ukrainian “sabotage and reconnaissance group” was detected Monday morning near a village close to the border in the Rostov region that neighbors the two Russian-controlled separatist regions in eastern Ukraine. 

Ukraine has denied the Russian claim and it comes amid a barrage of false reports and staged videos from Russia and the separatists of supposed Ukrainian attacks. In the past three days, Russia has also made dubious claims of shells falling on Russian territory as Russia builds a pretext for a possible attack on Ukraine, under the guise of coming to the aid of the separatists. 

Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytryo Kuleba publicly denied the Russian claims, on Twitter calling Russia a “fake-producing factory.” 

-ABC News' Patrick Reevell

Feb 21, 2022, 9:19 AM EST

Leader of Russian-backed separatists calls on Putin to recognize separatist regions as independent: Russian media

A leader of the Russian-controlled separatists in eastern Ukraine is calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognize the separatist regions as independent of Ukraine, Russian media is reporting.

Denis Pushilin, the leader of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk, is also asking Putin to consider making a treaty on mutual military defense.

Head of the Donetsk People's Republic Denis Pushilin attends events commemorating the seventh anniversary of the reunification of Crimea with Russia, in Crimea, Rusia, March 18, 2021.
Viktor Korotaev/Sipa USA via AP, FILE

Recognition would open a path to Russia potentially annexing the regions and possibly openly sending troops there.

The Russian parliament last week voted to appeal to Putin to recognize the two separatist self-proclaimed republics, though Putin initially signaled he wouldn’t do so immediately.

The self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, the two unrecognized state-lets in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, were formed after Russia stoked conflict in the Russian-speaking region of Donbas in 2014.

In the last week Russia and the separatist regions have dramatically escalated tensions, accusing Ukraine of an imminent attack and building a pretext for Russian intervention.

Russia’s senate is due to hold a session on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Ukraine and there's speculation the senate might address the issue of recognition.

-ABC News' Patrick Reevell

Feb 21, 2022, 8:30 AM EST

Likelihood of diplomatic solution 'diminishing hour by hour'

National security adviser Jake Sullivan told ABC News' "Good Morning America" Monday that President Joe Biden is prepared in principle to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin if there is no invasion, but that unfortunately, an invasion still seems likely.

"President Biden made clear all along he's prepared either way. He's prepared to engage in high level diplomacy to resolve this peacefully and he's equally prepared to rally our allies and partners to impose costs and consequences on Russia should they choose to invade," Sullivan said.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan talks about the latest in the Ukraine crisis, including a possible meeting “in principle” between the U.S. and Russia.
4:39
Potential Biden-Putin meeting could be soonWhite House national security adviser Jake Sullivan talks about the latest in the Ukraine crisis, including a possible meeting “in principle” between the U.S. and Russia.
ABCNews.com

"He indicated to the French president yesterday in principle he would be prepared to meet with Putin if President Putin stood down from his invasion," Sullivan said. "We can't say anything other than indications on the ground look like Russia is still moving forward."

Sullivan indicated the window for diplomacy will remain open until more significant military action is seen, but that the window gets smaller as time goes on. 

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan talks about the situation in Ukraine on ABC's "Good Morning America," Feb. 21, 2022.
ABC News

"We never give up hope on diplomacy until the missiles fly or the tanks roll," Sullivan said. "We've been working hard for months with our allies and partners to get Russia to sit down in a serious way at the table, even as recently as yesterday the president indicated his readiness to do that. Russia has not shown the same kind of willingness on their side. The likelihood there's a diplomatic solution given the troop movements of the Russians is diminishing hour by hour." 

Asked if sanctions will be enough to stop Russia without sending U.S. forces to Ukraine, Sullivan said the U.S. is determined to impose sanctions in the long-term to strangle Russia's ambitions without the use of ground forces.

-ABC News' Sarah Kolinovsky

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