Talk of Putin-Biden summit on Ukraine premature, Kremlin says

The Kremlin said Monday it was too early to discuss organising a summit between the Russian and American presidents, after Paris announced the possibility of a meeting to calm tensions over Ukraine.

The French presidency announced early Monday that an agreement had been reached in principle for US President Joe Biden to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, so long as Moscow holds back from sending troops into Ukraine, AFP reports.

“It’s premature to talk about any specific plans for organising any kind of summits,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“There is an understanding that dialogue should be continued at the level of foreign ministers,” Peskov said, adding that there are “no concrete plans in place” for a presidential summit.

“If necessary, of course, the Russian and American presidents can decide to hold a telephone call or connect via other methods,” the Kremlin spokesman added.

“A meeting is possible if the heads of state consider it appropriate,” Peskov added.

Putin was set to chair an emergency meeting of the Kremlin’s Security Council later Monday, Peskov said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was expected to speak by telephone with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian later on Monday ahead of scheduled talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Thursday.

Tensions between Moscow and Western capitals have been growing for weeks over a feared Russian attack on Ukraine and a large build-up of Moscow’s troops around Ukrainian borders.