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Elysee Palace announces consent of Putin and Biden to hold security summit

Questions for the summit will be prepared by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during their February 24 meeting

MOSCOW, February 21. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden accepted the proposal of French President Emmanuel Macron to hold a summit on security and strategic stability in Europe.

As the Elysee Palace reported on Sunday, Macron "proposed holding a summit between President Biden and President Putin, and then with relevant interested parties, to discuss issues of security and strategic stability in Europe."

The heads of the United States and the Russian Federation "agreed to the provisions of such a summit meeting." Questions for the summit will be prepared by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during their February 24 meeting.

Such a meeting "can take place only on the condition that Russia does not invade Ukraine."

Earlier on Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron had two phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and also held telephone conversations with US President Joe Biden, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Western countries and the Kiev regime have been spreading allegations lately about Russia’s potential invasion of Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these speculations as an "empty and groundless" escalation of tension. He did not rule out the probability of provocations to justify such allegations and warned that attempts to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine through military means would have serious consequences.

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