Biden, Putin agree to meet in France-brokered summit over Ukraine

US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have accepted "in principle" to hold a summit, which can only happen if Moscow does not invade Ukraine, the French presidency has announced.

The summit, proposed by France's Emmanuel Macron, will be expanded to relevant stakeholders to discuss "security and strategic stability in Europe," a statement from the Elysee said early on Monday.

It said that preparations would start between Russia and the US on Thursday.

President Biden has accepted in principle a summit with Russia's Putin after the two countries' foreign ministers meet next week and if an invasion has not occurred, the White House said.

"Currently, Russia appears to be continuing preparations for a full-scale assault on Ukraine very soon," press secretary Jen Psaki said in a release. 

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France brokers summit

The announcement –– released after a volley of phone calls between Macron and leaders on both sides of the Atlantic –– comes after a week of heightened tensions spurred by Russia's military buildup up and down the Ukrainian border.

Nerves were further frayed after the Belarusian Defence Ministry announced that Russia would extend military drills in Belarus that were due to end on Sunday. 

Satellite images appeared to show new deployments of Russian armour and troops close to Ukraine.

The White House said Biden was canceling 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.

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Tense borders

Western countries say fears of an invasion have escalated in recent months as Russia amassed more than 150,000 troops near Ukraine's borders.

The Kremlin insists it has no plans to attack Ukraine, which has angered Moscow by seeking long-term integration with NATO and the European Union.

Moscow is demanding written guarantees that its neighbour will never be allowed to join NATO, and for the US-led military alliance to roll back deployments in eastern Europe.

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