Ukraine crisis: Summit planned between Putin and Biden – USA set a condition

Created: 02/21/2022Updated: 02/21/2022 07:05

By: Max Schaefer

Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin are planning a summit meeting to de-escalate the Ukraine crisis.

The US has one condition.

• The USA* and its allies fear a Russian invasion of Ukraine*.

• Emmanuel Macron mediates a summit meeting between Joe Biden* and Vladimir Putin*.

• However, the USA threatens Russia* with further sanctions.

Paris - Tensions in the Ukraine crisis between Russia and Western countries continue.

A summit meeting between US President Joe Biden and Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin is now planned to de-escalate the situation.

Emmanuel Macron, President of France, proposed such a meeting to the two on Sunday (February 20, 2022), the Élysée Palace announced early Monday morning (February 21, 2022).

After that, everyone involved should come together.

The White House said Joe Biden had "in principle" agreed to the meeting with Putin.

However, the US condition is that Russia does not invade Ukraine first.

Emmanuel Macron had telephoned both with Biden and twice with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday evening.

The exact contents of the summit are to be determined at the already arranged meeting of the two foreign ministers Antony Blinken and Sergey Lavrov.

"We are always ready for diplomacy," the White House said.

In view of the tensions in the Ukraine conflict, Vladimir Putin (right) and Joe Biden want to meet for a summit meeting.

(Archive photo) © Denis Balibouse/dpa

Ukraine crisis: US threatens Russia with sanctions

The US government has again threatened Moscow with sanctions if it invades Ukraine.

It said it was prepared to impose swift and severe consequences if Russia chose war.

At present, Russia seems to be continuing preparations for a full-scale and early attack on the neighboring country.

Russian troop movements on the border with Ukraine are repeatedly documented by satellite images.

Despite the deployment of around 150,000 soldiers on the border with Ukraine, Russia has rejected Western fears.

"There is no invasion, and there are no such plans," Russian ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov told CBS on Sunday.

Rather, his country wants to continue diplomatic efforts.

On the other hand, NATO* is skeptical about Russia's behavior.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia had promised to withdraw troops from the border region but was increasing them.

It is not too late for Russia to change course, but the risk of an attack is increasing, he said in the ARD “Report from Berlin”*.

Ukraine crisis: Putin and Macron want to look for solutions to the violence in eastern Ukraine

According to the Kremlin, Macron and Putin also agreed that in view of the flare-up of violence in eastern Ukraine, the search for solutions should be intensified - including in the so-called Normandy format with representatives of Russia and Ukraine under Franco-German moderation.

The aim is for the ceasefire to be observed again in eastern Ukraine and for progress to be made in resolving the conflict.

In eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian army and Moscow-backed separatists have been at odds since 2014.

According to UN estimates, more than 14,000 people have already been killed, mostly in the separatist area.

A peace plan from 2015 mediated by Franco-German mediation is not implemented.

There have recently been increasing violations of the ceasefire along the front.

In the west, there are fears that Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin could use the fighting in eastern Ukraine as a pretext for an invasion* of the neighboring country.

However, Moscow has been denying plans of attack for weeks.

(ms/dpa)