Biden convenes National Security Council to discuss Ukraine crisis


President Biden called for a rare Sunday meeting of the National Security Council to discuss the situation on the Ukrainian border, Barron's reports.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Face the Nation that the meeting would provide "an opportunity to review the latest information, the latest intelligence, to check signals, to check plans."
According to NBC News, the meeting was originally set to take place in the Situation Room on Sunday morning, with Blinken and Vice President Kamala Harris, who were flying back from the Munich Security Conference, participating remotely from Air Force Two. On Face the Nation, Blinken did not correct host Margaret Brennan when she referred to the meeting in the future tense. He also said he "just came back from Munich" with Harris, not that he was on his way back.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
As of press time, it appears the meeting has not yet taken place.
Current estimates place the number of Russian troops positioned along Ukraine's border at up to 190,000, and Russian state media has stepped up its claims that a Ukrainian offensive against Russian-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine is imminent.
Some 30,000 Russian troops conducting joint exercises in neighboring Belarus were originally scheduled to begin returning to Russia on Sunday, but Belarusian Defense Minister Gen. Viktor Khrenin said Russian forces would remain due to the "escalation of the situation" in eastern Ukraine, The Guardian reported.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Will California’s Proposition 50 kill gerrymandering reform?
Talking Points Or is opposing Trump the greater priority for voters?
-
‘The trickle of shutdowns could soon become a flood’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Wikipedia: Is ‘neutrality’ still possible?
Feature Wikipedia struggles to stay neutral as conservatives accuse the site of being left-leaning
-
Trump demands millions from his administration
Speed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leak
Speed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroom
speed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
-
Appeals court clears Trump’s Portland troop deployment
Speed Read A divided federal appeals court ruled that President Trump can send the National Guard to Portland
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ rallies
Speed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
-
DOJ indicts John Bolton over classified files
Speed Read Continuing the trend of going after his political enemies, Trump prosecutes his former national security adviser
-
Trump, Putin set summit as Zelenskyy lands in DC
Speed Read Trump and Putin have agreed to meet in Budapest soon to discuss ending the war in Ukraine
-
Courts deal setbacks to Trump’s Chicago operations
Speed Read President Donald Trump cannot deploy the National Guard in Illinois