On Sunday, the White House confirmed that United States (US) President Joe Biden has agreed to meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “in principle,” so long as Russia does not invade Ukraine. Whether or not this meeting will occur remains up in the air, given the Biden administration’s repeated claims that Russia is preparing for a full-scale invasion, citing the presence of 150,000 Russian troops in Belarus and along the Ukrainian border.
In a press release, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that Biden will decide on his meeting with Putin after the upcoming meeting between the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Europe. Psaki stressed that Biden is ready to meet Putin as long as Moscow “does not proceed with military action,” adding, “We are committed to pursuing diplomacy until the moment an invasion begins.”
On Friday, Biden told reporters that he is “convinced” Putin will invade Ukraine, citing US intelligence and the recent escalation in ceasefire violations by Russian-backed separatists who are fighting the Ukrainian armed forces in the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine. Biden also criticised Russian media for making false genocide claims in Donbas, warning that Russia will use the conflict in Donbas and fabricate a “false justification” to invade Ukraine.
Over the weekend, Secretary Blinken reiterated Biden’s message during his interview with CNN, saying that the ongoing ceasefire violations by Russia are part of Moscow’s “false flag” operation. He also slammed Russia for continuing its military exercises in Belarus and said that Moscow’s escalation of troops near the Ukraine border and the Black Sea indicates that it will carry out an invasion. Similarly, in an interview with NBC, Blinken stated that the US and its European allies are committed to ensuring peace and stability in Ukraine, emphasising their willingness to impose unified sanctions on Russia as a deterrence measure.
Despite Russia repeatedly claiming otherwise, the US remains convinced that an invasion is imminent. Last week, during a United Nations (UN) Security Council meeting, Blinken presented a detailed plan of how Russia plans to attack Ukraine, calling Moscow the “most immediate” threat to Kyiv’s peace and security. Likewise, earlier this month, the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned that a Russian invasion could take place “any day” in the form of cyber-attacks or a full-scale invasion.
The Kremlin has categorically rejected Washington’s claims. Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said, “There are no such plans,” and emphasised that Moscow poses no threat to anyone, adding that all of Russia’s military activity is happening in its territory. Antonov also mentioned that Russia is willing to pursue diplomacy to solve the ongoing conflict. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the US’ claims as “empty and groundless,” saying they escalate the ongoing tensions between the two countries.
However, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) reported more than 1,500 ceasefire violations in Eastern Ukraine on Saturday alone. On Friday, there were 591 breaches in Donetsk and 975 violations in the neighbouring Luhansk area. Amid these growing violations, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky also proposed meeting Putin during the Munich Security Conference to de-escalate tensions, though this meeting did not take place.