United States President Joe Biden and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have agreed in principle to a summit over Ukraine, the office of French President Emmanuel Macron says, provided Russia does not invade its neighbour.
In a statement released early on Monday, the Elysee Palace said Mr Macron had pitched both leaders on a summit over "security and strategic stability in Europe".
"Presidents Biden and Putin have both accepted the principle of such a summit," the statement said, before adding that such a meeting would be impossible if Russia invaded Ukraine as Western nations fear it plans to.
The White House released a statement shortly afterwards confirming the news.
The US is "committed to pursuing diplomacy until the moment an invasion begins," press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement. "President Biden accepted in principle a meeting with President Putin ... if an invasion hasn't happened."
"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," she added.
The announcement - released after a volley of phone calls between Mr Macron and leaders on both sides of the Atlantic - comes after a week of heightened tensions spurred by Russia's military build-up up and down the Ukrainian border.
Nerves were further frayed after the Belarusian defence ministry announced Russia would extend military drills in Belarus that were due to end on Sunday. Satellite images appeared to show new deployments of Russian armor and troops close to Ukraine.
The White House said Mr Biden was cancelling a trip to Delaware and remaining in Washington following a two-hour meeting of his National Security Council.
US-based satellite imagery company Maxar reported multiple new deployments of Russian military units in forests, farms, and industrial areas as little as 15 km from the border with Ukraine - something Maxar said represented a change from what had been seen in recent weeks.
"Until recently, most of the deployments had been seen primarily positioned at or near existing military garrisons and training areas," the company said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN "everything we are seeing suggests that this is dead serious," adding the West was equally prepared if Moscow invades.
"Until the tanks are actually rolling, and the planes are flying, we will use every opportunity and every minute we have to see if diplomacy can still dissuade President Putin from carrying this forward."
The Kremlin, however, said Mr Putin and Mr Biden can set up a call or meeting any time but there are no concrete plans yet for a summit.
Tensions were growing over Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, but diplomatic contacts were active. He said Mr Putin would imminently address a special session of Russia's security council.
With AFP.
