Biden Agrees to Meet With Putin If Russia Doesn’t Invade Ukraine

Ukraine cites ceasefire violations by 'armed Russian formations'

(L) U.S. President Joe Biden waits to speak as he visits the Sportrock Climbing Centers in Alexandria, Va., on May 28, 2021. (R) Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a meeting with members of the Council of Legislators of the Federal Assembly, at the Tauride Palace, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on April 27, 2021. Mandel Ngan & Alexei Danichev/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. President Joe Biden has agreed to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin if Russia doesn’t invade Ukraine, the White House said on Feb. 20.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will first convene on Feb. 24 and Biden has “accepted in principle” a meeting with Putin following that engagement “if an invasion hasn’t happened,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.