The White House said Sunday that US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have scheduled a meeting if Moscow does not attack Ukraine, as Western countries continue their diplomatic attempts to avoid a war from breaking out in Europe.

According to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, Biden has agreed to meet with Putin in principle following a planned meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday in Europe.

French President Emmanuel Macron proposed the idea of this summit. Meanwhile, Psaki seems to tamp down any confidence that the Ukraine situation is improving, stressing that Russia looks to be continuing preparations for “a full-scale assault on Ukraine very soon.”

“We are dedicated to diplomacy until an invasion begins,” she added, repeating the US threat that any Russian assault would be faced with “rapid and serious repercussions,” including economic sanctions.

The meeting of top US and Russian officials will also occur only if Russia does not take military action against the former Soviet republic.

More than 150,000 Russian troops are estimated to have been concentrated around Ukraine’s borders, within Russian territory, in Belarus, which has strong connections with Moscow, and in Crimea, which Russia invaded from Ukraine in 2014.

Belarus said that the Russian military will remain in the state even after their joint operations are set to conclude on Sunday, adding to the pressure on Kyiv.

Russia has claimed that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s eastward expansion, as well as the likelihood of Ukraine joining the 30-nation military alliance, pose a danger to national security.

Moscow has rejected any intention of invading Ukraine.

Biden stated on Friday that he is “convinced” that Putin has decided on an invasion, while he added that dialogue is still an option.

On Thursday, leaders of the Group of Seven industrialised nations will gather online to discuss the situation in Ukraine, including Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

“While the situation remains severe,” Kishida told a parliamentary committee on Monday, “Japan will continue to make diplomatic efforts with other nations to calm tensions.”

The G-7 countries, which include the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States, as well as the European Union, have been stepping up efforts to show their solidarity in the face of Russia’s massive military buildup, which they see as a “threat to global security and the international order.”

They have threatened to impose “severe and unprecedented repercussions on the Russian economy” if Moscow pursues military action against Ukraine.

Courtesy: Mainichi Japan