U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to reporters on the situation in Ukraine before a meeting with his Infrastructure Implementation Task Force, in the Cabinet Room at the White House, in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2022.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden will speak with European leaders Monday afternoon as he mulls the option of deploying military personnel and equipment to the region amid the rapidly deteriorating security situation at Ukraine’s border with Russia.
Biden will speak via secure video with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy, President Andrzej Duda of Poland, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
The call will take place from the Situation Room at 3 p.m. EST. A senior administration official, who declined to be identified in order to share unannounced details, told NBC News that while conversations are underway with NATO countries about sending troops to Eastern Europe, Biden has not yet ordered a deployment.
The latest revelations come as the State Department issued an order Sunday evening for eligible family members of personnel at its embassy in Kyiv to leave the country due to the deteriorating security conditions.
The State Department also recommended on Sunday that all U.S. citizens in Ukraine depart the country immediately, citing Russia’s extraordinary military buildup on the border.
“Our recommendation to U.S. citizens currently in Ukraine is that they should consider departing now using commercial or privately available transportation options,” a senior State Department official said Sunday evening on a call with reporters.
For months, the West has watched an extraordinary build up of Russian forces and equipment at its border with Ukraine.
