President Biden on Monday was monitoring developments out of Russia as he met with his own national security team at the White House about the Ukraine crisis.
A White House official confirmed Mr. Biden’s meeting with his team, as several top administration officials were spotted at the White House, despite the fact that Monday is a federal holiday.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark A. Milley, and CIA Director William Burns were all seen at the White House.
Vice President Kamala Harris is also at the White House after returning Sunday night from the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
Mr. Biden has no public appearances set for Monday, but has a speech on job creation scheduled on Tuesday from the White House.
The meeting comes as Mr. Biden’s top national security official publicly painted a grim picture of the situation in Ukraine.
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National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told NBC’s “Today” show that a Russian attack will be “extremely violent” and likely more brutal than initially expected.
“We believe that any military operation of this size, scope, and magnitude of what we believe the Russians are planning will be extremely violent. It will cost the lives of Ukrainians and Russians, civilians and military personnel alike,” Mr. Sullivan said.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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