Feb 21 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed in principle to a summit over Ukraine, the U.S. and French leaders said, offering a possible path out of one of the most dangerous European crises in decades.
Biden cancels trip to Delaware
Messages seeking comment from the Kremlin and from the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy were not immediately returned early Monday. News of Macron’s proposal comes after a week of heightened tensions spurred by Russia’s military buildup on Ukraine’s borders. Russian forces have been amassing around its neighbor since late last year, something Western countries say is a prelude to an invasion that could come at any moment.
Blinken said Sunday that the extension of the exercises in Belarus, bordering Ukraine to the north, made him more worried that Russia was on the brink of an attack.“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.
Kyiv has accused pro-Russian forces of shelling their own compatriots in eastern Ukraine to blame the attacks on Ukrainian government forces.“It is not an exaggeration to say that Europe is a step away from war, which was something unimaginable not long ago,” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said in a TV interview.