WHITE HOUSE Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday that U.S. President Joe Biden “accepted in principle” a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Psaki’s confirmation of a potential Biden-Putin summit followed a statement by the Elysee Palace in France saying the two presidents have “accepted in principle” a virtual meeting brokered by French President Emmanuel Macron, who held separate phone calls with Biden and Putin on Sunday.

Psaki said the summit would happen after a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov next week, provided that Russia will not invade Ukraine.

“We are always ready for diplomacy,” she said in the statement. “We are also ready to impose swift and severe consequences should Russia instead choose war.”

The latest development came as the United States has kept claiming Russia could invade its neighbor at any time, while Russia has denied any such plans, accusing Washington of “hysteria.”

The Blinken-Lavrov meeting, agreed previously by the two sides, will take place in Europe on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will take part in an online meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) countries this week, the Japanese Government said yesterday.

The talks will be aimed at measures to deescalate tensions between Russia and Ukraine, sources here said.

Kishida said he would make his utmost efforts in lockstep with the G7 and other members of the international community to deescalate and ultimately resolve the crisis on the Russia-Ukraine border, stating in parliament, “While the situation remains critical, Japan will continue to make diplomatic efforts with other countries to ease tensions.”

Kishida urged Putin last week to find an “acceptable” diplomatic solution to the current impasse and held a teleconference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during which a number of pertinent issues were traversed, government sources said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said that the government has been urging Japanese nationals in Ukraine to evacuate. (Xinhua)