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

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that he considers the decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognize two separatist regions as independent to be a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.
"According to Article 51 of the UN Charter, Ukraine reserves the right to individual and collective self-defense," the president said. "We can well distinguish between provocations and attacks by the aggressor's troops."
Zelenskyy said Russia’s decision constitutes a de facto exit from the Minsk agreements, which attempted to end the fighting in the East but was vaguely written. Its interpretation is disputed by both sides.

The president noted that he initiated an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council and the Normandy 4 -- Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia.

He added that Ukraine was committed to diplomacy but noted that they are ready to defend the country.

There’s no need to panic, Zelenskyy said, adding that he is "committed to a peaceful and diplomatic path," but also noting that it’s not 2014, it’s 2022. "This is another country, another army," he said.

We are not afraid of anything or anyone," Zelenskyy said. "We owe nothing to anyone. And we will not give anything to anyone."

-ABC News’ Kirit Radia

The United Nations Security Council will meet Monday at 9 p.m. ET on the unfolding crisis in Ukraine.  

Ukraine, which requested the meeting, will be allowed to participate even though it is not a member of the council. 

The U.S., U.K., Albania, Ireland, France, Norway, Mexico and France -- all current or permanent members of the council -- backed the meeting, a U.S. official told ABC News. 

Russia, as council president, is responsible for scheduling meetings. With so many countries in favor, it likely could not have blocked this one. 

In its letter requesting the meeting, Ukraine accused Russia of "ongoing aggravation of the security situation," violating "Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity - the fundamental principles enshrined in the Article 2 of the UN Charter" and endangering "international peace and security," according to a copy of the letter obtained by ABC News.

-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan

Top House Republicans are criticizing the Biden administration for its handling of the evolving crisis in Ukraine.

The ranking members on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Armed Services Committee released a joint statement Monday, saying it was a "dangerous mistake" by the administration to say it will impose sanctions on Russia if and only if they invade Ukraine -- and not before. 

They also said the sanctions previewed by the White House thus far "are the definition of impotence," calling for forceful sanctions to be imposed starting now. 

No. 3 House Republican Elise Stefanik (R-NY) tweeted Monday that Biden is "unfit" to be commander-in-chief.

"Joe Biden is unable to stand up to Putin," she tweeted. "He is unfit to be our Commander-in-chief."

A growing group of GOP senators are also calling for the Biden administration to severely sanction Russia for Putin's decision to recognize Russian-backed separatist territories.

Sen. Lindsey Graham is also intensifying calls for sanctions with a series of tweets calling into question the "will" of the administration to act. 

"It’s clear that after the debacle in Afghanistan, every thuggish figure on the planet is licking their chops, including the Iranians and the Chinese," Graham tweeted. "I stand ready, willing and able to work with the Biden Administration to impose the most crushing sanctions possible on the Russian economy. The question is whether the Biden Administration has the will and determination to do so."

House Republican Rep. Liz Cheney said that Russia's actions on Monday, including the recognizing and ordering of troops into Ukraine separatist regions, qualifies as an invasion, saying the Biden administration must impose "crippling" sanctions now. 

"Russia has invaded Ukraine," Cheney tweeted. "The Biden Administration and our allies must impose full set of crippling sanctions now."

-ABC News’ Mariam Khan and Alison Pecorin

In his speech Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin questioned Ukraine's historical legitimacy as a country and made clear he will not tolerate it pulling away from Russia.

Putin said he considers the current government in Kyiv to be illegitimate, describing it as "those that seized and cling to power" and engaging in a long, detailed exposition arguing that modern Ukraine was a Soviet creation.

Putin lambasted the leaders of Ukraine’s 2014 revolution and accused the country's government of being entirely under the control of the West, saying the revolution had led to "terror" and economic failure. 

At one point, Putin challenged Ukraine’s efforts to break away from its Soviet past, implying that if wanted to do that it should accept being dismembered.

"You want decommunization? Well, decommunization suits us very well," Putin said. "Let us show you what real decommunization means for Ukraine."

The implication was that a pro-Western "nationalist" elite has hijacked Ukraine and is trying to pull it away from Russia and should therefore be removed. 

Putin then painted modern Ukraine as ungrateful, immature and accused it of taking advantage of Russia, which he represented as having tried to be the benevolent senior partner.

"Russia did everything to preserve Ukraine’s territorial," Putin said.

-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell