Putin mulls recognizing separatist eastern Ukrainian regions

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin convened top officials Monday to consider recognizing the independence of separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, a move that would ratchet up tensions with the West amid fears that the Kremlin could launch an invasion of Ukraine imminently.

The publicly staged, pre-recorded meeting of the presidential Security Council came amid a spike in skirmishes in eastern Ukraine that Western powers believe Russia could use as a pretext for an attack on the western-looking democracy that has defied Moscow’s attempts to pull it back into its orbit.

With an estimated 150,000 Russian troops massed on three sides of Ukraine, the U.S. has warned that Moscow has already decided to invade. Still, the American and Russian presidents tentatively agreed to a possible meeting in a last-ditch effort to avoid war.

If Russia invades, the meeting will be off, but the prospect of a face-to-face summit resuscitated hopes that diplomacy could prevent a devastating conflict, which would result in massive casualties and huge economic damage across Europe, which is heavily dependent on Russian energy.

Even as the diplomatic efforts inched forward, potential flashpoints multiplied. Sustained shelling continued Monday in the long-running conflict in Ukraine's east between government forces and Moscow-backed separatists. Unusually, Russia said it had fended off an “incursion” from Ukraine — which the Ukrainians officials denied. And Russia decided to prolong military drills in Belarus, which could offer a staging ground for an attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

Putin's decision to consider recognizing the separatist regions only threatened to add fuel to the fire.

Leaders of the regions released televised statements earlier pleading with Putin to...