Putin-Biden meet: Russia says there’s no concrete plan for summit

Civilians take part in military drills to prepare for possible war, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday. Pic/AP

The US and Russian presidents have tentatively agreed to meet in a last-ditch diplomatic effort to stave off Moscow's invasion of Ukraine as heavy shelling continued Monday in a conflict in eastern Ukraine that is feared will spark the Russian offensive.

French President Emmanuel Macron sought to broker a possible meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a series of phone calls that dragged into the night. Macron's office said both leaders had "accepted the principle of such a summit," to be followed by a broader summit meeting also involving other "relevant stakeholders to discuss security and strategic stability in Europe."

A combination photo of Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin. Pic/AP

A summit might offer a possible path out of Europe's biggest military crisis in decades, and financial markets edged higher on the glimmer of hope for a diplomatic solution. However, both Washington and Moscow played down hopes of a breakthrough, and satellite imagery appeared to show Russian deployments closer to Ukraine's border than before.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that a phone call or meeting between Putin and Biden could be set up at any time, but there were no concrete plans yet for a summit. He also said Putin would imminently address an extraordinary session of Russia's Security Council.

The White House said in a statement that Biden had accepted the meeting "in principle" but only "if an invasion hasn't happened". "We are always ready for diplomacy," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. "We are also ready to impose swift and severe consequences, should Russia instead choose war." She noted that "currently, Russia appears to be continuing preparations for a full-scale assault on Ukraine very soon."

Ukraine welcomes the possibility of a summit, but nothing can be solved without Kyiv's involvement, Ukraine's top security official Oleksiy Danilov said on Monday. "No one can resolve our issue without us. Everything should happen with our participation."

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