France Says Putin Must Decide on ‘Possible’ Biden Summit

France on Monday called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to make a decision on meeting US counterpart Joe Biden in a summit proposed by Paris to ease soaring tensions over Ukraine.

“It is today possible to move towards a summit and to bring the interested parties together. Now it is up to President Putin to make his choice,” a French presidential official, who asked not to be named, told reporters.

The official described the situation as “very dangerous” and the parties as “walking a fine line.”

The comments from the official came after 24 hours of frenetic diplomacy which saw President Emmanuel Macron speak to Putin twice by telephone and also to Biden in a bid to broker the summit plan.

“Against this background of very high volatility, of very great danger, we are making our last efforts, our most intense efforts, to avoid the worst,” said the official.

The Elysee released a statement in the early hours of Monday morning indicating that both Biden and Putin had agreed “in principle” to the summit.

Source: AFP