Tensions in Ukraine: Biden generally agrees to meet with Putin

US President Joe Biden has agreed "in principle" to a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the Ukraine crisis. However, the negotiations proposed by France would only take place if Russia had not attacked its neighbor, the White House said.

The Kremlin, meanwhile, said there were no "concrete plans" for a summit.

We hope such talks can offer a possible diplomatic solution to one of Europe's worst security crises in decades.

US officials say intelligence shows Russia is ready to launch a military operation, which Moscow denies.

The French Presidency announced the proposed summit after two phone calls between Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Putin, which lasted nearly three hours.

The second exchange occurred in the early hours of Monday morning Moscow time, followed by a 15-minute call between Macron and Biden.

Macron's office said a possible summit would be discussed at a meeting between US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday.

In a statement reaffirming the proposal, the White House also said Russia appeared to be "preparing for an all-out attack on Ukraine immediately" and that the United States was prepared to impose "quick and severe consequences" should that happen.

According to US estimates, Russia has amassed more than 150,000 troops near the Ukrainian border.

The American company Maxar said that new satellite images show many new field operations of armored vehicles and troops from Russian garrisons near the border with Ukraine, indicating increased military readiness. The French presidency tell the two leaders had agreed to resume talks as part of the Normandy format, a group formed to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine, including Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany.

Putin agreed on the need to prioritize a "diplomatic solution" to the crisis, the statement said, adding that "intensive work" was being carried out to facilitate a meeting "in the next few hours" aimed at ending the fires.

However, the Kremlin later said it was too early to discuss concrete plans for holding a summit. "There is an agreement that dialogue should resume at the level of the foreign minister," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He added that the meeting was possible "if the head of state deems it appropriate."

The Kremlin said Putin blamed the Ukrainian military for escalating tensions. Ukraine denies this, saying Moscow is waging a provocative campaign to create a pretext for intervention.