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WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed in precept to a summit to debate the scenario in Ukraine, the White Home mentioned Sunday, however solely so long as Russia doesn’t invade its neighbor.
The event, first introduced in an announcement by the French authorities after President Emmanuel Macron spoke to every chief individually, appeared to throw into query the timing of Russia’s extensively anticipated invasion of Ukraine.
Three sources, together with two White Home officers, mentioned a ultimate choice on such a summit can be made solely after additional talks between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian International Minister Sergey Lavrov.
However whereas the White Home later confirmed that Biden had “in precept” agreed to the assembly, on Monday the Kremlin mentioned there have been “no concrete plans” for a summit, though the thought had not been dominated out, in response to Russia’s state-run Tass information company.
The Biden administration has repeatedly mentioned it’s open to a gathering with Putin, the sources famous, earlier than emphasizing that nothing has modified concerning america’ conclusion {that a} Russian invasion of Ukraine is imminent.
White Home press secretary Jen Psaki mentioned as a lot in an announcement concerning the proposed summit.
“We’re at all times prepared for diplomacy,” she mentioned on Sunday. “We’re additionally able to impose swift and extreme penalties ought to Russia as an alternative select warfare. And at present, Russia seems to be persevering with preparations for a full-scale assault on Ukraine very quickly.”
The French authorities mentioned in a translation of its assertion earlier that the summit “can solely be held on the situation that Russia doesn’t invade Ukraine.”
Blinken and Lavrov will put together the substance of the summit at a beforehand scheduled assembly Thursday, the palace mentioned.
A U.S. official and one other particular person with information of the matter mentioned earlier Sunday that the U.S. had obtained intelligence displaying that Russian army officers got an order to go forward with an invasion.
The intelligence, which was developed very just lately, knowledgeable Biden’s startling declaration Friday that the U.S. believes Putin has already determined to invade, the folks mentioned.
The U.S. then witnessed Russian army items taking steps to hold out the order in preparation for an invasion, additional bolstering the evaluation that Putin may strike at any time, they added.
“As of this second, I’m satisfied he’s made the choice. Now we have purpose to imagine that,” Biden mentioned Friday on the White Home. Requested how the U.S. knew, he mentioned solely: “Now we have a big intelligence functionality.”
Biden’s assertion had marked a shift after weeks of the U.S. saying it believed Putin hadn’t made a ultimate choice. On Saturday, Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin mentioned he agreed with Biden that Putin had determined to invade and that Russia’s army was now in “the stance that you should be in to assault.”
White Home officers say the risk stage in jap Ukraine and alongside the Russian border hasn’t diminished over the weekend, regardless of diplomatic efforts by Blinken and Vice President Kamala Harris at a serious annual safety convention in Munich. The White Home mentioned Biden was briefed once more Saturday by his aides that “Russia may launch an assault towards Ukraine at any time.”
On Sunday, Biden convened a uncommon weekend assembly of the Nationwide Safety Council targeted on Ukraine, the White Home mentioned. Austin and Blinken, each newly again from Europe, had been noticed coming into the West Wing shortly earlier than midday. A White Home official mentioned Harris would take part within the assembly remotely from Air Pressure Two whereas she flies again from Germany.
Blinken, who instructed the U.N. Safety Council on Thursday of an elaborate Russian plot to manufacture a pretext for warfare, mentioned on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Putin’s actions since then have been “following the script that I laid out.” He pointed to his earlier predictions that Russia would mount false-flag operations in jap Ukraine and use purported momentary army workout routines to justify a army buildup close to Ukraine’s border.
“Every little thing we mentioned was prone to happen within the lead-up to the precise invasion is going on,” Blinken mentioned.
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