President Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed “in principle” to a summit, French President Emmanuel Macron’s office announced on Sunday.
Driving the news: The agreement was reached following two separate conversations that Macron had with the leaders, according to a statement from the French president’s office. “It can only be held if Russia does not invade Ukraine,” the statement added. The White House confirmed this in a separate statement.
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What they’re saying: “As the President has repeatedly made clear, we are committed to pursuing diplomacy until the moment an invasion begins. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Lavrov are scheduled to meet later this week in Europe, provided Russia does not proceed with military action,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in an emailed statement.
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“President Biden accepted in principle a meeting with President Putin following that engagement, again, if an invasion hasn’t happened,” she added.
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“We are always ready for diplomacy. We are also ready to impose swift and severe consequences should Russia instead choose war. And currently, Russia appears to be continuing preparations for a full-scale assault on Ukraine very soon.”
Worth noting The announcement came as President Biden convened a meeting of the National Security Council on Sunday as U.S. officials warn that Putin is stoking disinformation in order to blame Ukraine if Russian troops invade the country.
Go deeper: Biden and Putin are live-blogging a pre-war
Editor’s note: This a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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