Russia Ukraine Conflict Feb 21 Live Updates: Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin agree to meet ‘in principle’ provided there is no invasion, says White House

Ukraine Crisis News Live: The White House on Sunday said that US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have accepted to meet in principle and hold a summit over Ukraine, provided Russia does not invade its neighbor. Press Secretary Jen Psaki in a release said that they are always ready for diplomacy, reported AP. “We are also ready to impose swift and severe consequences should Russia instead choose war. And currently, Russia appears to be continuing preparations for a full-scale assault on Ukraine very soon,” Psaki added.

The tension in Europe is not ending anytime soon. The escalation on the Ukraine-Russia border has intensified as Moscow announced that it will extend the military drill with Belarus. In simple terms, this means that thousands of soldiers that were supposed to return to their bases in Russia will now continue their border posting. As many as 30,000 Russian troops have been deployed near Donbass region. On its part, Moscow says that the decision has been taken in view of the marked upsurge in shelling in the eastern Ukraine over the weekend.

Kyiv has called on the Western powers to impose sanctions on Russia to deter it from the ‘imminent invasion.’ UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that Putin is planning biggest war that Europe has seen since the end of World War 2 in 1945. US Vice-President Kamala Harris has said that Russia will have to pay a huge economical cost should Putin decide to invade Ukraine. Moscow maintains that this continuous ‘predictions’ by the Western powers is are adding to the tension.

As the world watches anxiously, here are latest updates on the Russia-Ukraine crisis: