The Kremlin stated on Monday that it is "too early" to discuss a summit between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, which France announced to defuse the crisis between the West and Russia over Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, "There is an agreement on the necessity to continue dialogue at the level of ministers (of foreign affairs). It is too early to discuss concrete plans for organizing summits," according to AFP. He added that "the meeting is possible if the two presidents (the Russian and American) see it as beneficial," noting that Biden and Putin can "speak to each other if necessary via phone or otherwise."
Previously, the French president's office, Emmanuel Macron, stated that Putin and Biden had agreed in principle to hold a summit regarding the Ukrainian crisis, which Macron proposed. However, the French presidency indicated in a statement that "the Biden-Putin summit can only take place if Russia does not invade Ukraine."
Peskov mentioned that Putin would chair a meeting on Monday with the Russian Security Council, a powerful body that includes the country's top decision-makers, particularly military leaders and intelligence officials. The Russian president is expected to deliver a speech during the meeting.
On the battlefield, the Kremlin reiterated that "the situation remains extremely tense" on the eastern front of Ukraine, between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists. Peskov stated, "This is concerning," accusing them of wanting to commit "genocide" against Russian-speaking populations. The West has accused Moscow of escalating fighting along the front line for several days and fears that Russia, which has amassed over 100,000 troops at the Ukrainian border, might use this as a pretext to launch a broad attack against its Western-aligned neighbor. Moscow denies any intention to invade Ukraine but demands that this country not join NATO and that the alliance withdraw from Eastern Europe, which the West has so far rejected.
