Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden have agreed to meet soon to discuss Ukraine, as suggested by their French counterpart Emanuel Macron, with Paris and Washington stating that it will not become Russian. invasion of Ukrainian territory until then.
The unexpected announcement was made at a time when the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war was considered imminent.
“Presidents Biden and Putin have agreed in principle to hold such a summit,” Elieze said in a statement, adding that an enlarged summit involving “all parties” to the Ukraine crisis would follow. “Security and Strategic Stability in Europe”.
But the summit “can only take place if Russia has not invaded Ukraine” in the meantime, the French presidency said. President Biden has agreed in principle to meet with President Putin “unless there is an invasion,” the White House confirmed.
At this stage, there has been no comment from the Kremlin.
The United States has “committed itself to continuing diplomacy until the invasion begins,” said Jen Psaki, a spokeswoman for the US presidency.
“President Biden has agreed in principle to meet with President Putin (…) if there is no invasion.”
“However, we are ready to achieve rapid and heavy costs if Russia chooses war instead,” Psaki warned. soon”.
The agenda of the summit will be prepared by the Foreign Ministers of the two countries, Anthony Blinken and Sergey Lavrov, at their meeting scheduled for Thursday, Elize clarified.
The announcement by the French presidency came as Russia and Ukraine continued exchanging accusations of hostilities in Donbas on Sunday between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists.
Following his visit to Moscow in early February, Emanuel Macron denounced this diplomatic success after two talks on the same day with Vladimir Putin on Sunday.
The second took place in the evening, after the head of the French state had meanwhile spoken with his American counterpart Joe Biden, taking on the role of mediator between the two enemies of the Cold War.
The development took place as Washington warned in an increasingly high tone that the Russian invasion was imminent, with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken saying yesterday that Moscow was one step ahead of the invasion.
Satellite images of the American company Maxar recorded a new development of Russian troops and equipment near the border with Ukraine, she announced.
Sunday’s photos show “strike forces” – tanks, armored personnel carriers, guns, equipment and support personnel – crossing snowy terrain.
Westerners fear that the escalation of fighting on the front line in eastern Ukraine will be used as a pretext by Russia, which has mobilized some 150,000 troops near the border, to launch an invasion.
Ceasefire?
Vladimir Putin attributes the spark of violence to the “Ukrainian provocations”. Pro-Russian separatists are evacuating civilians being transported to Russia, and have declared a general mobilization of men capable of carrying weapons.
Following the evacuation order, some 53,000 people – out of the three million living in Donbas, as eastern Ukraine is known – fled to Russian territory, according to the Russian government, which has declared a state of emergency in the Russian region of Kursk.
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the “challenges” of the Moscow-backed rebels and called for the resumption of negotiations under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the implementation of ” immediate “new ceasefire.
Separatist officials in the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Lugansk today spoke of two civilians killed in shelling by the Ukrainian army, an element that could not be confirmed by independent sources.
According to the Elysee, during the talks between Presidents Putin and Macron, the importance of a ceasefire was stressed.
Russian and French Foreign Ministers Sergei Lavrov and Jean-Yves Le Drian are expected to meet today, according to Moscow.
An extraordinary OSCE meeting dedicated to Ukraine is also scheduled for today.
Russia denies intending to invade Ukrainian territory. It demands guarantees of its security, in particular the withdrawal of NATO forces from Eastern Europe, but this claim is rejected by Westerners.
The crisis around Ukraine since the end of 2021 has caused the most serious escalation of tensions that Europe has experienced since the end of the Cold War.
SOURCE: AMPE
Source: Capital
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
