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

Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a national security council meeting that he will make a decision today whether to recognize the Russian-controlled separatist regions in Ukraine as independent.

This came after Putin called an unplanned meeting of his national security council and, in an unusual move, broadcast the meeting live on state TV. The security council unanimously advised Putin he should recognize the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, the two unrecognized state-lets in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. That would open a path to Russia annexing them, as it did Crimea in 2014.

Putin and some top officials at the meeting questioned the usefulness of holding a summit with President Joe Biden.

Nikolay Patrushev, the head of the national security council, told Putin he thought the proposed summit wouldn't be necessary if it was for the U.S. to repeat its positions.

"We probably don’t need just conversations, we need to achieve concrete goals,” Patrushev said, accusing the U.S. of having a "hidden goal” to destroy Russia.

Patrushev said unless the U.S. could say it can force Ukraine to fulfill the Minsk agreements in 2 to 3 days there was no point in a summit.

-ABC News' Patrick Reevell

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

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

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.

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