A White House official emailed some reporters to say that President Obama’s national security team met Saturday to discuss the escalating situation in Ukraine, but Obama reportedly didn’t attend,
The Weekly Standard reported.
Time magazine’s Zeke Miller said Obama skipped the meeting:
Obama did not attend the meeting, but WH official says he has been briefed by Susan Rice and his national security team.
But Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin did speak by telephone Saturday as the U.S. reviews Russia’s military moves in Ukraine, the
Associated Press reported.
Here’s Miller’s breakdown of how the 90-minute phone call went:
Putin to Obama: "Russia retains the right to protect its interests and the Russian-speaking population of those areas."
WH: President Obama expressed his deep concern over Russia’s clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity
WH: The United States condemns Russia’s military intervention into Ukrainian territory.
WH: The United States calls on Russia to de-escalate tensions by withdrawing its forces back to bases in Crimea
WH: The United States will suspend upcoming participation in preparatory meetings for the G-8.
WH: Russia’s continued violation of international law will lead to greater political and economic isolation.
There also was a high-level meeting at the White House Saturday after Russia’s parliament gave Putin the military go-ahead to protect Russian interests in neighboring Ukraine, the AP said.
Participants in the meeting included Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, CIA Director John Brennan, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, the AP said.
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