French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday proposed a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden, and the proposal was accepted in principle by both parties, the Elysee Palace said, according to AFP.
The statement said that Macron also proposed a Ukraine summit with all involved parties.
At the same time, the Elysee Palace also stressed that a Putin-Biden summit “can only be held if Russia does not invade Ukraine”.
The White House later confirmed that President Biden accepted in principle a meeting with President Putin if an invasion of Ukraine hasn’t happened.
“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,” said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
The announcement came hours after the US cited intelligence reports saying that Russian military officers have already received orders to launch the invasion of Ukraine. READ MORE