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Russia-US summit possible, choice is up to Russia — Elysee Palace

There is a possibility to hold a meeting and bring the interested parties together, the Elysee Palace informed

PARIS, February 21. /TASS/. A meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Joe Biden of the United States is possible, but its specific aspects depend on Moscow, the Elysee Palace said on Monday.

"Today, there is a possibility to hold a summit and bring the interested parties together," the Elysee Palace said, citing a series of talks that French President Emmanuel Macron had held in the past 24 hours.

"The choice is now up to President Putin," a French presidential administration official told Agence France-Presse. He emphasized that "the situation remains very dangerous."

The French presidential office earlier said in a statement that in his phone calls with Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Joe Biden of the United States, Macron had suggested holding a Russia-US summit.

Tensions have recently escalated in Donbass. Since February 17, the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR, LPR) have been reporting the heaviest shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in months, which have damaged a number of civilian infrastructure facilities. On Friday, the heads of the LPR and DPR, Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin, announced the evacuation of the republics’ residents to Russia, citing the mounting threat of hostilities. A general mobilization was ordered in the Donbass republics on Saturday.

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