The latest on the Ukraine-Russia crisis

RTVI, a Russian media outlet, posted video of a military convoy moving through the streets of the city of Donetsk late Monday.

Donetsk is the capital of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine, which Russian President Vladimir Putin moved to recognize as independent earlier Monday.

The convoy included towed howitzers but could not be positively identified as Russian. Both the Russian backed separatists in Donetsk and the Russian army have the type of weaponry observed.  

Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer

Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer said Russia’s move to recognize the independence of two separatist pro-Moscow regions in eastern Ukraine regions “is a step away from diplomacy.”

Finer added that while the US is “not closing the door to diplomacy,” scheduled meetings between Secretary of State Tony Blinken and his Russian counterpart and a possible meeting between Biden and Putin “will depend on what happens in the coming days.”

Finer also noted that Russia’s current activity shuts down the possibility of further peaceful discussions.

“We’ve also been quite clear that there can be no diplomatic meeting either with the foreign ministers, the secretary of state and Foreign Minister Lavrov, or with the President, if Russia takes further military action in Ukraine,” said Finer.

Meanwhile, said Finer, the most recent intelligence “absolutely” points to the possibility of Russian military action.

“We fully expect that Russia will take this military action,” he said. “We have offered them, and we continue to hold out some prospect of a diplomatic off-ramp for Russia, should they choose to deescalate the conflict that way, but all signs that we see on the ground, including the pageantry that unfolded the Kremlin today suggests a step toward additional military action, not diplomacy.”

The UN Security Council is expected to convene an urgent meeting tonight at 9 p.m. ET at the request of the Ukrainians, two UN diplomats tell CNN. 

This will be an open session where all member nations — including the Russians and the US — are expected to make statements. 

“The Kremlin’s actions today are a wholesale rejection of the Minsk agreements and a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2202 (2015). Russia’s announcement is nothing more than theater, apparently designed to create a pretext for a further invasion of Ukraine,” she said.

Thomas-Greenfield also said it was “an unprovoked violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” for President Putin to recognize parts as the Donbas region “independent states.” 

Rep. Ted Lieu

Following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to order Russian troops into two separatist pro-Moscow regions in eastern Ukraine, Rep. Ted Lieu said Putin’s actions and words show “his goal and intent is to take over all of Ukraine.”

“This action by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin further confirms that [GOP Sen.] Mitt Romney was right when he called Russia the No. 1 geopolitical foe. Depending on where their forces go, it could determine whether we enter a very large war or not,” Lieu told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

“If Putin merely sends forces into the existing regions in Donbas where the Russian-backed separatists already control those regions, that will be different than if he sent his forces into the regions in which the Ukrainian forces currently control. That could be very bad,” Lieu continued.

Earlier today, Putin ordered troops into two separatist pro-Moscow areas in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine — the Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic. It came just hours after he signed decrees recognizing the independence of the Moscow-backed regions.

Lieu went on to comment on the larger context of the speech Putin gave earlier on Monday.

Lieu says he feels that Putin is sending a clear message as to what his overall agenda may be.

“If you look at his build-up of troops along the border, if you look at his speech, then it looks pretty clear to me that his goal and intent is to take over all of Ukraine,” he said.

Rep. Gerry Connolly

US Rep. Gerry Connolly is pushing back on Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying the ordering of Russian troops into two separatist pro-Moscow regions in eastern Ukraine is not a “peacekeeping” operation.

“Right now, Russia’s surrogates and Russian troops occupy about a third of Donetsk to Luhansk. What he proposes to do immediately is to extend that to the remaining two-thirds. That is an invasion by any sense of the imagination,” he added.

Connolly told Blitzer there are “three immediate things” the United States should do in response to Putin’s actions:

Connolly added that the United States “should not cooperate with Vladimir Putin’s fiction [at] any time,” adding that it is “time to show him that there are consequences for his reckless behavior.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s move to recognize breakaway eastern Ukrainian territories as independent appears to be the opening salvo of a larger potential military operation targeting Ukraine, nearly a dozen US and western officials tell CNN.  

The US expects Russian troops could move into the Donbas region of Ukraine as soon as Monday evening or Tuesday, after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the two pro-Moscow territories as independent, a senior US official familiar with latest intelligence tells CNN. 

The US is still seeing preparations for a potential invasion including loading amphibious ships and loading equipment for airborne units.

The US and western officials said Putin’s decision to sign the decree, which proclaims that the Russia-backed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) are independent territories, has given Putin the justification he wanted to send in Russian forces and potentially wage a broader assault on Ukraine in the name of protecting the separatist regions. 

The Kremlin announced on Monday evening that Russia would be sending “peacekeeping” forces into the breakaway territories, confirming many officials’ worst fears.  

“That’s your invasion,” said one European diplomat. “If we don’t act on this as we have said we would in case of a further invasion, we will have seriously undermined our credibility,” the diplomat said.  

Still, in a call with reporters, the senior administration official suggested to reporters that the mere movement of new Russian “peacekeeping” forces into eastern Ukraine would not itself trigger the full sanctions package the administration has threatened in the event of a Russian invasion, noting that “there have been Russian forces present in these areas” since 2014.  

“So we’re going to be looking very closely at what they do over the coming hours and days and our response will be measured, according, again, to their actions,” the official said. The official said “it now looks like Russia will be operating openly in that region, and we will be responding accordingly.”

The official would not identify what line Russian troops would have to cross in Eastern Ukraine to be considered a new invasion. 

The White House said on Monday that Biden would impose new financial restrictions on the breakaway republics, and a senior administration official told reporters that more actions would be announced on Tuesday. But some officials say the penalties do not go far enough — especially considering Biden’s claim last month that if “any assembled Russian units move across the Ukrainian border, that is an invasion” and “will be met with severe and coordinated economic response.”

CNN’s Oren Liebermann, Katie Bo Lillis and Sebastian Shukla contributed to this report.

A summit between US President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely, a senior administration official told reporters Monday, following intelligence and indications on the ground that Russia is likely to take military action in neighboring Ukraine.

On Sunday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden agreed “in principle” to a meeting with Putin sometime after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meet on Thursday — as long as Russia does not further invade Ukraine.

But the official said that while the Biden administration was open to further engagements between the two leaders, “if we thought it made sense and could have a beneficial impact on the crisis,” intelligence reports indicating further Russian military action would preclude any leader-to-leader summit.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden have agreed that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decrees recognizing two separatist pro-Moscow regions in Ukraine as independent “will not go unanswered,” Scholz’s spokesperson said. 

In a statement Monday, Scholz’s spokesperson said Scholz spoke to Biden and Macron on Monday evening about the “deteriorating situation” after the Russian President formally recognized the two so-called People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk on Monday.

Scholz, Biden and Macron expressed their solidarity with Ukraine and commended Ukraine’s cautious response to date, led by President Volodymyr Zelensky, he added.

“The partners agreed not to let up in their commitment to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. At the same time, every effort will be made to prevent the situation from escalating further,” the spokesperson concluded. 

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has asked the UN Security Council for an urgent meeting, according to a tweet in the early hours of Tuesday morning local time. 

“Ukraine has requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council due to Russia’s illegal actions. We have already sent the request to the Council,” Kuleba tweeted.

See the tweet here:

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to recognize Donetsk and Luhansk as independent “represents a complete rejection of Russia’s commitments under the Minsk agreements.”

In statement Monday, Blinken added that the move “directly contradicts Russia’s claimed commitment to diplomacy, and is a clear attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

“We will continue to coordinate with Ukraine and our Allies and partners to take appropriate steps in response to this unprovoked and unacceptable action by Russia. The EO [executive order] is designed to prevent Russia from profiting off of this blatant violation of international law. It is not directed at the people of Ukraine or the Ukrainian government and will allow humanitarian and other related activity to continue in these regions,” he said.

Russian troops continue preparations for an invasion of Ukraine, but diplomacy will be pursued “until the tanks roll,” a senior US administration official says. 

The official acknowledged Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order of “peacekeeping” troops to enter Moscow-claimed regions in eastern Ukraine, but said the US would respond to Russian actions and not words. 

“We will observe and assess what actions Russia actually takes and respond accordingly,” the official said.

The official declined to provide additional information or confirmation of Russian troops entering Ukraine, but said the US was closely observing events on the ground.

And the official noted that Russian troops operating in these regions wasn’t a new phenomenon.

“This has been the state of affairs in that region” since 2014, the official said.

The official said the US would take additional actions to respond to Russia’s recognition of the breakaway territories on Tuesday.

“We will take further measures tomorrow to hold Russia accountable for this clear violation of international law and Ukraine sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the official said.

Watch CNN’s Oren Liebermann report on the Pentagon reaction to Putin’s remarks:

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The US expects Russian troops could move as soon as tonight or tomorrow into Donbas for their so-called “peacekeeping” mission, a senior US official familiar with latest intelligence. 

The US is still seeing preparations for a potential broadening operation including loading amphibious ships and loading equipment for airborne units.

A decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin Monday, which recognized two-pro Moscow breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, ordered Russian armed forces into the territories in what it called “peacekeeping functions.”

The US expects Russian troops could move as soon as tonight or tomorrow into Donbas for their so-called “peacekeeping” mission, according to a senior US official familiar with latest intelligence. 

The US is still seeing preparations for a potential broadening operation including loading amphibious ships and loading equipment for airborne units.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss arrives for an EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee in Brussels on Monday, February 21.

The United Kingdom will announce new sanctions on Russia on Tuesday, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Monday, following Putin’s recognition of separatist regions in Ukraine.

“Tomorrow we will be announcing new sanctions on Russia in response to their breach of international law and attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Truss said on her verified Twitter account.

Truss’s tweet comes after the White House announced President Biden is planning to impose new restrictions on trade and financing in the two pro-Moscow territories.

The UK toughened its sanctions regime against Russia on Feb. 10, when the new legislation was laid in Parliament.

French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to recognize the separatist states of eastern Ukraine, the Elysée Palace said Monday in a press statement.

“This is clearly a unilateral violation of Russia’s international commitments and an attack on the sovereignty of Ukraine,” the Elysée said.

Macron is requesting, “an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council and for the adoption of targeted European sanctions,” the Elysée also said.

President of Estonia Alar Karis has condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to recognize the independence of two separatist pro-Moscow regions in Ukraine, adding that Estonia stands with the people of Ukraine.

In a post from Karis’s verified Twitter account, on Monday he said, “We are seeing a planned, premeditated escalation by Russia. No matter the outcome, the message could not be clearer: nothing uttered by the Russian state can unfortunately be trusted. The path for a free, European Ukraine is clear and Estonia supports if fully #WeStandWithUkraine.”

Another tweet from Karis’ account added that “Estonia will never accept the illegal decision by Russia to recognize Donetsk and Luhansk regions. They are an internationally recognized part of Ukraine, like Crimea. Clearly, Moscow is not serious about diplomacy but is looking for casus belli. #StandWithUkraine.”

 Prime Minister, Boris Johnson speaks during a press conference at the Downing Street Briefing Room on Monday February 21, in London.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recognition of separatist regions of eastern Ukraine is a breach of international law, further calling Moscow’s move an “ill omen and a very dark sign.” 

“It is a repudiation of the Minsk process and the Minsk agreements, and I think it’s a very ill omen and a very dark sign,” he said, adding that this is “yet another indication that things are moving in the wrong direction in Ukraine.” 

The White House says US President Biden convened a secure call at 3:17 p.m. ET with French President Macron and German Chancellor Scholz, according to a pool report.

That follows a phone call he held with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky this afternoon.

Biden also conferred with top US officials at the White House as Russian President Vladimir Putin held a national security meeting and then signed decrees recognizing the independence of two Moscow-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.

The White House said Biden plans to impose new sanctions on trade and financing on the two territories.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks at the Munich Security Conference on February 18.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday condemned Russia’s recognition of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, saying the move “further undermines” Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.  

Stoltenberg blamed Russia for “[continuing] to fuel the conflict in eastern Ukraine by providing financial and military support to the separatists,” adding that Moscow “is also trying to stage a pretext to invade Ukraine once again.” 

“In 2015, the United Nations Security Council, which includes Russia, reaffirmed its full respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Donetsk and Luhansk are part of Ukraine,” he continued.  

Stoltenberg said NATO supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within “its internationally recognized borders,” and said the alliance urges Russia “in the strongest possible terms, to choose the path of diplomacy, and to immediately reverse its massive military build-up in and around Ukraine, and withdraw its forces from Ukraine in accordance with its international obligations and commitments.”  

President Joe Biden speaks from the Roosevelt Room of the White House on February 18.

US President Biden plans to impose new restrictions on trade and financing in the two pro-Moscow territories that President Vladimir Putin decided to recognize as independent on Monday.

The order would also allow the US to impose sanctions on anyone operating in those areas. And the White House said it would “soon announce additional measures related to today’s blatant violation of Russia’s international commitments.”

“To be clear: these measures are separate from and would be in addition to the swift and severe economic measures we have been preparing in coordination with Allies and partners should Russia further invade Ukraine,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki wrote in a statement.

Here’s how former CNN Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty reacted to the White House announcement:

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British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has condemned the decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognize the independence of two separatist self-declared republics in Ukraine on her Twitter account on Monday. 

See Truss’ tweet here:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he has discussed the events of the last few hours with US President Joe Biden.

In a tweet posted Monday, following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s televised speech, Zelensky also said that a meeting of the Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council has started.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Biden spoke with Zelensky this afternoon. An official said they spoke for about 35 minutes.

Some background: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed decrees recognizing two separatist regions in Ukraine in a ceremony carried on state television.

See Zelensky’s tweet here:

Russian President Vladimir Putin signs a decree recognizing the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic Monday in a ceremony carried on state television. 

European Union leaders are condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to recognize the independence of two pro-Russian separatist regions in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, European Council President Charles Michel echoed der Leyen’s remarks in a tweet of his own, saying “EU and its partners will react with unity, firmness and determination in solidarity.”

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics also condemned Moscow’s decision and called for immediate EU sanctions on Russia. 

“Latvia condemns this act of aggression and calls for strong [international] response. EU must impose sanctions immediately,” Rinkevics said in a tweet Monday.

See the European Commission president’s tweet:

US President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this afternoon, White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed.

An official said they spoke for about 35 minutes.

The latest: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed decrees recognizing two separatist-controlled regions in Ukraine, a provocative move as fears of an invasion mount.

People are evacuated to Russia from the Donetsk People's Republic on February 19.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees recognizing two controversial separatist-held regions, the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic, Monday in a ceremony carried on state television.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has previously promised “a swift and firm response” from the US and allies and partners if Russia moves to recognize Ukraine’s breakaway regions as part of Russian territory, calling such a move a “gross violation of international law.”

Here’s why the recognition of the separatist-held regions is significant:

War broke out in 2014 after Russian-backed rebels seized government buildings in towns and cities across eastern Ukraine. Intense fighting left portions of the Donbas region’s eastern Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts in the hands of Russian-backed separatists. Russia also annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 in a move that sparked global condemnation.

The separatist-controlled areas in Donbas became known as the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). The Ukrainian government in Kyiv asserts the two regions are in effect Russian-occupied. The self-declared republics are not recognized by any government, including Russia. The Ukrainian government refuses to talk directly with either separatist republic.

The Minsk II agreement of 2015 led to a shaky ceasefire agreement, and the conflict settled into static warfare along the Line of Contact that separates the Ukrainian government and separatist-controlled areas. The Minsk Agreements (named after the capital of Belarus where they were concluded) ban heavy weapons near the Line of Contact.

Language around the conflict is heavily politicized. The Ukrainian government calls separatist forces “invaders” and “occupiers.” Russian media calls separatist forces “militias” and maintains that they are locals defending themselves against the Kyiv government.

More than 14,000 people have died in the conflict in Donbas since 2014. Ukraine says 1.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes, with most staying in the areas of Donbas that remain under Ukrainian control and about 200,000 resettling in the wider Kyiv region.

People from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions watch an address by Russian President Vladimir Putin from their temporary housing in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on February 21.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees recognizing the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic Monday in a ceremony carried on state television.  

Earlier in the day, the heads of the self-proclaimed pro-Russian republics requested the Kremlin leader recognize their independence and sovereignty.

Members of Putin’s Security Council supported the initiative in a meeting the same day.

Putin directed parliament to recognize the separatist regions and ratify treaties of friendship, following a lengthy address in which he accused the US and NATO of attempting to turn Ukraine into a military outpost to threaten Russia.

“I ask the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation to support this decision, and then to ratify the treaties of friendship and mutual assistance with both republics. These two documents will be prepared and signed in the very near future. And from those who seized and hold power in Kyiv, we demand an immediate cessation of hostilities. Otherwise, all responsibility for the possible continuation of the bloodshed will be entirely on the conscience of the regime ruling on the territory of Ukraine,” he continued.

“Announcing the decisions taken today, I am confident in the support of the citizens of Russia and all the patriotic forces of the country. Thank you for your attention,” the Russian leader added.

You can read more here about the separatist regions and why they have become a key part of the Ukraine-Russia crisis.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plans to recognize the so-called Donesk and Luhansk People’s Republics as independent states, Scholz told Putin during a call on Monday. 

During the phone call, Scholz called on Putin “to immediately de-escalate the situation and withdraw the massive forces from the border with Ukraine. He stressed that it was now particularly important to observe the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine & to de-escalate.” 

According to the statement, Scholz is consulting with his closest partners, including his French and Ukrainian counterparts. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered lengthy remarks on Soviet history and the formation of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic under Communist rule in the 20th Century.

Here are a few quotes from the remarks: 

Putin published a tendentious essay on Ukrainian and Russian history last summer, in what was widely viewed as a pretext for escalating pressure on Ukraine.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to not recognize the separatist self-declared republics of Donbas.  

“We call upon President Putin to respect international law and the Minsk agreements and expect him not to recognize the independence of the Luhansk and Donetsk Oblast. And we are ready to react with a strong united front in case he should decide to do so,” said Borrell at a press conference on Monday following a meeting of EU’s foreign ministers in Brussels.  

Putin informed French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz by phone that he intends to sign a decree “soon” to recognize two breakaway pro-Russian territories — which call themselves the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics — the Kremlin said Monday. 

“It will be soon, eight years since Russia invaded an illegally annexed Crimea. And they want to repeat when again that any further aggression against Ukraine will have a strong answer from the European Union,” Borrell said.

The EU’s top diplomat also said that Russia had created “the biggest threat to peace and stability in Europe since the Second World War.” 

“The staged events and information manipulation are clearly aimed at creating a pretext for military escalations against Ukraine. It’s a classical way of behaving. You create a pretext for military escalations,” Borrell continued.  

The EU foreign policy chief said that a strong response from the European Union would also apply to Belarus “should an attack be conducted from its territory or with its involvement.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin is delivering an address now from Moscow.

The Kremlin said Monday Putin informed French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz by phone that he intends to sign a decree “soon” to recognize the separatist self-declared republics of Donbas.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Munich on February 19.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has previously promised “a swift and firm response” from the US and allies and partners if Russia moves to recognize Ukraine’s breakaway regions as part of Russian territory, calling such a move a “gross violation of international law.”

“To be clear: Kremlin approval of this appeal would amount to the Russian government’s wholesale rejection of its commitments under the Minsk agreements, which outline the process for the full political, social, and economic reintegration of those parts of Ukraine’s Donbas region controlled by Russia-led forces and political proxies since 2014,” Blinken said last week when this topic was under discussion in the Russian Duma. 

The State Department has not elaborated on what that “swift and firm response” would entail.

The department also did not immediately respond to request for comment about the Kremlin saying that Putin has informed French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that he intends to sign a decree “soon” to recognize the separatist self-declared republics of Donbas.

Blinken also said Sunday that the US would not consider recognizing any of the breakaway territories of eastern Ukraine to be part of Russia as a means to avoid a larger war. 

US officials have privately expected that Russia could move to recognize these territories, but they have also said that they do not expect Russia to stop there, based on the massive Russian troop buildup all around Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called a national defense and security meeting to address the latest developments on the Russia-Ukraine crisis, according to the Elysee Palace. The meeting started at 7 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET) Monday. 

Macron on Monday has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, twice with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

“There will be other contacts in the evening,” the Elysee Palace said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a national security meeting in Moscow on February 21.

Russian President Vladimir Putin informed French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz by phone that he intends to sign a decree “soon” to recognize the separatist self-declared republics of Donbas, the Kremlin said Monday.

Putin said that he intended to sign a corresponding decree soon, the Kremlin added.

According to the Kremlin readout, the French and German leaders “expressed their disappointment with this development. At the same time, they indicated their readiness to continue contacts.”

More background: The separatist-controlled areas in Donbas are known as the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). 

The Ukrainian government in Kyiv asserts the two regions are in effect Russian-occupied. The self-declared republics are not recognized by any government, including Russia. The Ukrainian government refuses to talk directly with either separatist republic.

Read more here about the separatist regions and why they are at the heart of the Ukraine-Russia crisis.

Here’s a map showing where the separatist regions are located:

President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the White House on February 18.

President Biden has been monitoring developments emerging from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s national security meeting Monday, according to aides, as he confers with his own top officials about the Ukraine crisis.

Top officials from the United States — including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, and CIA Director Bill Burns — have all been seen arriving at the White House on Monday, despite the fact it’s a federal holiday.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who returned Sunday evening from the Munich Security Conference, is also at the White House.

President Biden was not expected to appear in public.

During overnight hours officials from the US downplayed the likelihood of a summit between Biden and Putin, saying that the prospect of a Russian invasion into Ukraine would make such a meeting unlikely. Additionally, it’s been noted that there’s been no work done on location, format, or timing of a summit.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan has warned that Russia could be preparing for a conflict even more brutal than some initial estimates.

“But we also have intelligence to suggest that there will be an even greater form of brutality because this will not simply be some conventional war between two armies: It will be a war waged by Russia on the Ukrainian people, to repress them, to crush them, to harm them,” Sullivan continued.

Speaking on ABC, Sullivan shared that, “all signs look like President Putin and the Russians are proceeding with a plan to execute a major military invasion of Ukraine, making clear that an attack could begin at any moment and the step toward invasion were underway.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry Yair Lapid announced on Monday that “following situation assessment” and after “discussions with various international actors,” he has decided to instruct staff at the Israeli Embassy in Kyiv to move to consular offices opened in Lviv in western Ukraine.

The ministry added that the “Foreign Ministry is prepared for any development, including the possibility of a land exit. Within this framework, Israeli diplomats stationed in Lviv as well as those serving in Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Moldova, and Hungary have held visits to border crossings with Ukraine, and meetings with the authorities at the crossings, in order to ensure the passage of Israeli citizens who wish to leave Ukraine.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with members of his Security Council in Moscow on February 21.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will deliver an address soon, Russian state news agencies reported Monday.

The agencies in Russia have cited both Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as well as a banner on state television.

Putin said earlier Monday he was considering a request from pro-Russian separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine’s breakaway regions to recognize them as independent.

The news comes as the United States says it’s seeing Russia continuing to prepare for an invasion into Ukraine, with one US official familiar with the latest intelligence saying there has been “no slowdown.”

An exterior view of the receiving station of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in Lubmin, Germany, on February 2.

“Massive” European Union sanctions against Russia in case of a Ukrainian invasion would include the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Monday, according to a government spokesperson.  

“Russia would in principle be cut off from the international financial markets” if it invades Ukraine again, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told Germany’s ARD public television Sunday evening.  

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Saturday that a package of EU sanctions against Russia has been “wrapped up over the last few days and weeks.”  

More on the pipeline: The 750-mile pipeline was completed in September but has not yet received final certification from German regulators. When up and running, it would boost deliveries of gas directly from Russia to Germany.

The United States, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and several EU countries have opposed the pipeline since it was announced in 2015, warning the project would increase Moscow’s influence in Europe.

CNN’s Ivana Kottasová and Charles Riley contributed reporting to this post. 

UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace leaves 10 Downing Street in London, on February 21.

There is “strong cause for concern” that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “still committed to an invasion” of Ukraine, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace warned on Monday.  

Making a statement to lawmakers in the UK parliament, Wallace said that “all the indicators point to increasing numbers and readiness of Russian forces,” highlighting an increase in Russian troop numbers and change in force disposition over the past 48 hours. 

Highlighting that Russia has now massed 65% of its land combat power on the Ukrainian border, Wallace also pointed out the “proliferation of false flag operations, propaganda stunts, and Russian news outlets carrying fictitious allegations.” 

The defense secretary urged Putin for “the sake of his own people” to “rule out the invasion of Ukraine” and recommit to diplomatic efforts. 

“We continue to hope […] President Putin will relent and pull back from an invasion, but we must prepare ourselves for the consequences if he does not,” Wallace concluded.  

A senior administration official says US President Biden has made no assurances or commitments privately to Russian President Vladimir Putin about Ukraine’s NATO membership that he hasn’t made in public. 

There hasn’t been any position change in the US view of NATO’s membership, which is that they remain committed to an open door policy for the defense alliance.

Still, as Biden stated most clearly last month, there is no expectation that Ukraine would be able to join NATO anytime soon.

Earlier Monday in a security council meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that Biden had given him an assurance Ukraine would not be admitted to NATO soon and its potential membership might be subject to a moratorium.  

“The American colleague assured me that Ukraine is not going to be admitted [to NATO] tomorrow,” Putin said. “Moreover, some kind of moratorium is possible.”

“My answer is simple: We believe that this is not a concession to us, it is simply the implementation of your plans,” Putin added.

Before leaving the Munich Security Conference Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters, “NATO is a membership — it is about nations coming together as a group, making decisions collectively, around again, principles, and what will be then the conditions and the standards of membership. And so that is the process. It doesn’t happen overnight.”

“No one country can say I want to be in, therefore I will be, and no one country can say you can’t be. And isn’t that at the heart of the very issue we are presented with in terms of Russia’s aggression, or stated aggression towards Ukraine,” she continued.

CNN’s Nathan Hodge and Anna Chernova contributed reporting from Moscow.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will travel to Paris to meet with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian on Friday to hold preparatory talks for a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a statement from the French Foreign Ministry on Monday.  

The two presidents have accepted the principle of a summit, but Paris has imposed a pre-condition similar to that from Washington. 

Le Drian also emphasized the need to hold a meeting of the trilateral contact group as soon as possible. 

“The Minister encouraged his Russian counterpart to use his influence with the de facto representatives of the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, who are currently refusing to hold this meeting,” the statement read.  

Before coming to Paris, Lavrov is scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in Geneva on Thursday to hold talks in preparation for a potential meeting between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Putin.  

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council, in Moscow, Russia, on February 21.

Moscow’s priority is to ensure security guarantees are reached with NATO to maintain peace, “not a confrontation,” Russian president Vladimir Putin said Monday, cautioning however that the admission of Ukraine into NATO would pose a security threat to Russia.

“But we must understand the reality we are living in, and I have said many times already that if Russia faces a threat like admitting Ukraine into NATO, then the threat against our country will be multiplied,” he added.

Speaking during a meeting of Russia’s Security Council in Moscow, Putin noted that “using Ukraine as a tool of confrontation against Russia is a serious and large threat” to Moscow.

“Russia has always tried to resolve all conflicts by peaceful means. Nevertheless, the Kyiv authorities conducted two punitive operations in these territories [Donetsk and Luhansk], and it seems that we are now witnessing an escalation for the third time,” Putin said.

It is not immediately clear what operations Putin was referring to.

Ukrainian officials have denied what has been described as “disinformation” and “deliberate provocations” by the Russian Federation.

US President Joe Biden speaks during press conference at the White House on February 18, in Washington, DC.

US President Biden has no public events on his schedule this Presidents’ Day, but a White House official says he is being briefed “regularly” by his national security team on the Russia-Ukraine crisis on this federal holiday and the White House is “monitoring events closely.”

On Friday, Biden delivered remarks about the ongoing crisis, saying he is now convinced Russian President Vladimir Putin has made the decision to invade Ukraine, but emphasized that room for diplomacy remains.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba proposed an alternative to possible bilateral talks between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, calling for the inclusion of Ukraine and other allies. 

According to the White House, Biden has agreed “in principle” to a meeting with Putin, providing Russia does not invade Ukraine.

The meeting, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, would happen after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meet on Thursday.

Speaking during a news briefing following a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, Kuleba also announced that an agreement had been reached, in principle, for the EU to “roll out an advisory training military mission” in Ukraine.

“These are not combat forces, this is a new element in the cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union,” Kuleba said.

“The details, the main parameters and the timeline of this roll out are still to be discussed, but it’s critical that we open this new page in our relations,” he added.

Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attends a joint news conference in Moscow, on February 21.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he will meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Geneva on Thursday, in comments at a security council meeting.

What the US is saying: On Sunday, Blinken told CNN that he’s planning to meet with Lavrov this week “provided Russia doesn’t invade Ukraine in the interim.”

He noted that the US “put on the table a number of ideas that we can pursue that would strengthen security” for Russia, the United States, and the rest of Europe.

“That’s the conversation I welcome having with Foreign Minister Lavrov. It depends entirely on if Russia invades or not,” Blinken said.

Ukrainian Military Forces servicemen walk through trenches on the front line in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on February 21.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday he is considering a request from pro-Russian separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine’s breakaway regions to recognize them as independent.

More context: Even as Russian forces mass on Ukraine’s border, the spotlight last week swung back to the rumbling low-intensity war in eastern Ukraine and its possible role in setting the stage for a broader conflict.

The Ukrainians say shelling by the Russian-backed separatists is at its highest in nearly three years, and for their part the separatists allege the use of heavy weapons by Ukrainian armed forces against civilian areas.

On Thursday, a kindergarten in Ukrainian-controlled territory less than 5 kilometers from the front line was hit. On Friday and Saturday, the Ukrainian authorities reported a further spike of shelling by heavy weaponry, which is banned from within 50 kilometers of the front lines by the Minsk Agreements.

Ukraine said it recorded more than 100 truce violations in the east, after a day of heavy weapons fire that saw fears of a Russian invasion mount.

The leaders of the two breakaway pro-Russian territories claimed the Ukrainians are planning a large military offensive in the area. On Friday they organized mass evacuations of civilians to Russia, while instructing men to remain and take up arms.

Ukrainian officials repeatedly deny any such plans. 

About the recent history in Donbas: War broke out in 2014 after Russian-backed rebels seized government buildings in towns and cities across eastern Ukraine. Intense fighting left portions of the Donbas region’s eastern Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts in the hands of Russian-backed separatists. Russia also annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 in a move that sparked global condemnation.

The separatist-controlled areas in Donbas became known as the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). The Ukrainian government in Kyiv asserts the two regions are in effect Russian-occupied. The self-declared republics are not recognized by any government, including Russia. The Ukrainian government refuses to talk directly with either separatist republic.

The Minsk II agreement of 2015 led to a shaky ceasefire agreement, and the conflict settled into static warfare along the Line of Contact that separates the Ukrainian government and separatist-controlled areas. The Minsk Agreements (named after the capital of Belarus where they were concluded) ban heavy weapons near the Line of Contact.

Read more about the separatist-held regions here.

CNN’s Tamara Qiblawi, Nathan Hodge and Ivana Kottasová contributed reporting to this post. 

Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting in Moscow, on February 3.

UK intelligence indicates that Russia intends to launch an invasion of Ukraine, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesperson said Monday, adding that “in some ways, Putin’s plan has in effect already begun.”

Last week, Britain’s Defense Ministry warned that Russia “retains a significant military presence that can conduct an invasion without further warning,” posting on Twitter a map showing Putin’s “possible axis of invasion.”

The map showed Russia’s capability to carry out phase one ground movements towards the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, from two points along the Belarusian border, and one point from the Western Russia border.  

UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace is expected to provide an update on the Ukraine crisis in statement to parliament on Monday. 

People board up a window at a school damaged in a shelling attack, in Donetsk region, on February 21.

The European Union will provide an emergency support package of 1.2 billion euros ($1.36 billion) in the form of loans to foster stability in Ukraine, the council said in a news release on Monday. 

The council “fast-tracked” and adopted the package 21 days after the European Commission presented its proposal, saying “the current geopolitical tensions are having a detrimental effect on Ukraine’s economic and financial stability.”

“Persistent security threats have already triggered a substantial outflow of capital. Ukraine is losing access to international capital markets due to the heightened geopolitical uncertainty and its impact on the economic situation,” it added.

“The EU has acted swiftly and decisively to help Ukraine. Within 21 days, we completed the necessary work, which means that €1.2 billion macro-financial assistance can now reach Ukraine,” French Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire said about the package.

According to the news release, the financial assistance will have a duration of 12 months and will consist of two disbursements, subject to the satisfactory implementation of the ongoing International Monetary Fund program in Ukraine and entry into force of a Memorandum of Understanding on “specific structural policy measures,” which will be agreed between the European Commission and Ukraine.

The US continues to see Russia making moves in the field that are consistent with preparations to invade Ukraine, two US officials told CNN on Monday.

One US official familiar with the latest intelligence says military preps continue unabated and there has been “no slowdown.”

Those “tactical indicators” that Russian forces in the field are doing, are what they would be doing “if they were told to invade,” another US official said. The US is now looking for the “larger actions” beyond field activity that would indicate upcoming kinetic activity on a wider scale, the official said.  

Other indicators, such as electronic jamming and widespread cyberattacks, have not yet been observed, according to multiple sources. The sources cautioned that orders can always be withdrawn or that it could be misinformation meant to confuse and mislead the US and allies.

On Sunday CNN reported that the US has intelligence indicating orders have been sent to Russian commanders to proceed with an attack on Ukraine, according to two US officials and another source familiar with the US intelligence.

The intelligence regarding the order to tactical commanders and intelligence operatives is one of several indicators the US is watching to assess if Russian preparations have entered their final stages for a potential invasion.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday that a Russian attack on Ukraine could begin “in the coming hours or days” and would be “extremely violent.” 

It was a dramatic video, widely shared when it appeared last Friday by Telegram channels sympathetic to Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

It supposedly showed a barrage of gunfire and shelling by Polish-speaking saboteurs trying to blow up a chlorine tank near the city of Horlivka a week earlier – on February 11. Horlivka is in territory controlled by the separatists of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic.

The press service of the People’s Militia of the DPR picked it up and claimed that the saboteurs were killed and the video was recovered from their bodies. 

However, metadata from the video file reveals a creation date of February 8, ten days before it was shared on Telegram, a CNN analysis shows. And three days before the alleged date of the attack.

The messaging platform preserves metadata for the videos posted there and it cannot be changed.

But that is not all. Another section of the metadata – called a “pantry creator tool” – revealed that Adobe Premiere Pro was used to edit the video using different assets – called “ingredients” – from a separate repository.

“It seems to be a composed video, meaning that it is a collection of several assets, for example, when you add audio to a video or build a collection of smaller clips, images etc.,” said Givi Gigitashvili, research associate at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab. 

“The ingredients file path of this particular video contains a name ‘2021-02-04 ВИДЕО-ЗАПИСЬ ДРГ(+).mp4,’ which may indicate that some ingredients are from 2021,” he added. 

The location of that and other video assets also has “2021” and “February 2” as names for project folders, again suggesting that the original timeframe dates back to last year. 

Among these assets, also in the Pantry section of the metadata, is a filename “M72A5 LAW and AIPLAS live fire.mp4.”

As first noticed by Eliot Higgins, founder and creative director of Bellingcat, the filename corresponds to a YouTube video with the same name, featuring explosions and gunfire at a location in Finland. 

CNN asked Rob Maher, an audio forensics expert at Montana State University, to analyze the media assets. He compared the boom sequence audio from one of the shots in the YouTube video with similar audio in the Telegram video. 

“The sequence of booms is remarkably similar in timing,” Maher concluded. “For the particular boom I compared, the timing is not exactly identical, but it is inexplicably similar.”

According to Maher, in order for the boom sequences in both videos to be that similar, “the geometrical relationship between the artillery piece, target, and microphone would have to be the same” – meaning that they would have to be in the exact same position in both videos. 

If the geometry was different “the relative time of arrival of the various boom sounds would be different” because the boom sound would propagate at different speeds to the microphone. 

“It seems pretty unexpected and coincidental that those acoustic arrival times would be so similar in these two ‘unrelated’ videos,” Maher concluded. “If the assertion is that the separatists’ video contains edited sound, this might be one explanation.”

Maher’s findings are corroborated by other sound designers and experts on Twitter such as Ciaran Walsh, who compared the spectral analysis of the explosions in the two videos, and arrived at similar conclusions. 

“I think (there’s) plenty of evidence indicating that audio is added from that YouTube video,” Gigitashvili said. 

It is not the first time that separatists have been seen posting questionable videos on Telegram. A CNN analysis of the Friday video statements by the leaders of the DPR and Luhansk People’s Republic revealed that the footage was recorded 2 days earlier.

The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine has accused Russian authorities of “deliberate provocation” after Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed on Monday that a shell fired from Ukrainian territory had destroyed a border guard post in Russia’s southern Rostov region.

“The statement of the Russian Federation FSB about the shelling from the territory of Ukraine – as a result of which the duty location of the border guards of the Russian Federation was destroyed – is a deliberate provocation,” Ukraine’s State Border Guard said Monday. 

“In particular, the exact place where it took place is not specified, except mentioning 150 meters from the Russian-Ukrainian border within the Rostov region,” the statement added. 

The FSB is Russia’s main domestic security agency and oversees Russian state border defense.

On Monday it said “an unidentified shell fired from the territory of Ukraine completely destroyed” a border control station about 150 meters from the border.

CNN was not able to independently verify the incident or the point of origin of any shellfire. 

The head of Ukraine’s National Security Council, Oleksiy Danilov, asserted that Ukraine has “nothing to do with these attacks.”

“Our military can only fire back if there is a threat to the lives of our military. We are not shelling,” Danilov said. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a joint press conference in Moscow, on February 15.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a large meeting of the Russian Security Council on Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in a call with journalists on Monday.

When asked if this was an emergency meeting or a regular one, Peskov said that it is “not regular,” refusing to elaborate further on the agenda of the meeting.

Peskov said the situation at the border remains “extremely tense” and refused to comment on the possibility of Russia providing military assistance to Donbas if requested.

Europe remains poised for a potential Russian invasion and Western leaders have warned that one remains imminent.

Earlier on Monday, Ukraine’s defense minister Oleksii Reznikov said the country is not witnessing the withdrawal of Russian forces from positions close to the Ukrainian border.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to “not play with human lives” in Ukraine on Monday, at the beginning of another week of tense diplomacy in Europe.

“I am appealing insistently to the Russian government, to the Russian President: Do not play with human lives!” Baerbock said in Brussels on arrival to the European Foreign Affairs Council meeting.

“The truly irresponsible game with the civil society and with people in the occupied areas – on both sides – is irresponsible,” she added. 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to speak with Putin on Monday as part of continued diplomatic efforts to find a resolution to the ongoing Ukraine crisis. The call was announced by German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit during a press briefing in Berlin on Monday.

“The attacks, the violent conflict we have experienced in the last 72 hours is really alarming, the ceasefire is being interrupted repeatedly and people’s lives are highly threatened because of disrupted water and power supplies,” Baerbock said. 

EU Foreign Affairs Chief Josep Borrell told reporters on Monday that the EU would present “sanctions at the right moment.”

“I will call for the extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, and I will present the sanctions at the right moment … we are ready to do that when the moment comes,” he said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen earlier told Germany’s ARD public television that Russia would “in principle be cut off from the international financial markets” if it invades Ukraine again.

“The crisis was induced by Russia, that’s why Russia has to solve this crisis now. We can only solve this crisis at the negotiation table. It is a matter of our common security,” Baerbock reiterated at the European summit on Monday.

“It is absolutely important that we stand united as Europeans with our American friends,” she said.

Ukraine Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov holds a briefing in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 3.

Ukraine is not witnessing the withdrawal of Russian forces from positions close to the Ukrainian border, its defense minister Oleksii Reznikov said Monday.

“We are observing the Russian units, which number today 127,000 people on the ground component, and with the naval and aviation component 147,000 people,” Reznikov said Monday.

“We do not see a withdrawal and we are not talking about the number being reduced, because the units can be quickly returned to their previous places or transferred to another area.”

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry gave very similar figures last week. 

Its update comes as new satellite imagery collected by Maxar on Sunday shows intensified activity among Russian units close to Ukraine’s northeastern border, with units that were in garrisons appearing to take up field positions.

“This new activity represents a change in the pattern of the previously observed deployments of battle groups (tanks, armored personnel carriers, artillery and support equipment),” Maxar observed.

“Until recently, most of the deployments had been seen primarily positioned at or near existing military garrisons and training areas,” it said.

Reznikov added on Monday: “We do not underestimate the threat in any case, it is really high.”

The minister also broached the possibility that Russia might recognize the self-declared republics in eastern Ukraine as independent.

“If they recognize these terrorist groups, which call themselves republics, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, they will directly violate the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine,” he said. 

“It will mean that, in fact, this is a pretext for a potential invasion through the introduction of some peacekeepers or something like that, as they will call it.”

Last week, Russian lawmakers appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognize the breakaway republics in Donbas as independent. 

The Kremlin said after the vote it had no plans to recognize the two regions, stating: “No one remains indifferent to the fate of Donbas. But still, Russia has repeatedly declared that it remains committed to the Minsk package of measures, and that Russia is in favor of the implementation of the entire Minsk plan as soon as possible, in the sequence that exists.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov is seen speaking at a press conference in Moscow on Feb. 18.

There are no “no concrete plans” for a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in a call with journalists on Monday.

Biden has agreed in principle to talks, brokered by French President Emmanuel Macron, but the White House said Sunday it will go ahead only “if an invasion hasn’t happened.”

“A substantive understanding has been reached that it is necessary to continue dialogue at the ministers’ level. It is too early to talk about concrete plans for organising summits,” Peskov said during his briefing.

“Of course, we do not rule out that, if necessary, the presidents of Russia and US can make a decision at any time to have contacts, by telephone or in person. It will be their decision,” Peskov added.

If talks do transpire, they would represent a major diplomatic development at a time of frenzied negotiating. US officials have consistently said Biden is willing to engage with Putin, even as he prepares withering economic sanctions should another Russian invasion of Ukraine take place.

But like their Russian counterparts, American officials have downplayed the likelihood of the summit actually taking place, given what they say is the high probability that Putin could launch an invasion soon.

“We are always ready for diplomacy. We are also ready to impose swift and severe consequences should Russia instead choose war. And currently, Russia appears to be continuing preparations for a full-scale assault on Ukraine very soon,” Biden’s press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement on Sunday night.

Only hours before news of the possible summit emerged – after late-night calls between Macron and Putin, and between the French President and Biden – the US warned it had intelligence suggesting that Putin had already given his field commanders orders to invade Ukraine.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, speaks at the 58th Munich Security Conference. on Feb. 19.

If Russia invades Ukraine it would “in principle be cut off from the international financial markets,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told Germany’s ARD public television late Sunday.

Measures would hit “all goods we make that Russia urgently needs to modernize and diversify its economy, where we are globally dominant and they have no replacement,” she added.

Russia’s “clear weak point” is an economy based on fossil fuel energy, she said, with two thirds of exports being oil, coal and gas.

She urged Russia to “come back to the negotiating table,” but affirmed that “if Putin picks a quarrel, we will answer with massive consequences.”

French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune speaks at the European Parliament on Feb. 16.

French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune said a summit between the US and Russian presidents “will not happen before Thursday.”

He made the comments to French broadcaster LCI on Monday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is due to speak with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, on Monday and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Thursday. 

Beaune described these meetings as “preparatory meetings” for a summit between the two presidents.

“We will see the situation” following those discussions, he said. 

The Russian and US leaders have agreed in principle to a bilateral meeting to discuss the tensions around Ukraine, following calls with French President Emmanuel Macron, including three hours of discussion with Putin, according to Beaune. 

“Diplomatic hope has been restored” by Macron, he said.

The US has written to the top United Nations human rights official that it has credible information that Russia has been identifying Ukrainians “to be killed or sent to camps” if it further invades Ukraine and occupies it, according to a letter to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights obtained by CNN.

The letter is signed by Ambassador Bathsheba Nell Crocker, the US representative to the office of the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, and addressed to Michelle Bachelet, the UN high commissioner for human rights.

Crocker alleges “disturbing information recently obtained by the United States that indicates that human rights violations and abuses in the aftermath of a further invasion are being planned.”

The letter did not say how the US obtained the information.

Crocker added that the aim for sharing this information with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights was to give “an early warning that a further Russian invasion of Ukraine may create a human rights catastrophe.” 

She said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised these concerns to the Security Council on Feb. 17. “In particular, he stated that the United States has information that indicates Russia will target specific groups of Ukrainians,” Crocker added.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell speaks with the media in Brussels on Monday.

The European Union supports the latest attempt to arrange further talks between Washington and Moscow over Ukraine, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, said on Monday.

US President Joe Biden has agreed “in principle” to French-brokered summit talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as long as Russia does not further invade Ukraine, the White House said late Sunday.

The meeting, according to press secretary Jen Psaki, would occur after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meet on Feb. 24.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Ukraine-Russia crisis.

US President Joe Biden has agreed “in principle” to a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as long as Russia does not further invade Ukraine, according to the White House. The potential meeting was brokered by French President Emmanuel Macron amid renewed US warnings that war is imminent.

Here are some of the latest headlines to bring you up to speed:

French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed a summit between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Elysée Palace said in a statement.

The statement said the potential summit can only be held “if Russia does not invade Ukraine.”

Macron and Biden spoke by phone for around 15 minutes to discuss the situation in Ukraine on Sunday.

The French presidency also said Macron had two calls with Putin on Sunday. 

The Elysée said Macron proposed a summit on security and strategic stability in Europe with Biden and Putin, and then with all other stakeholders. The statement did not name those stakeholders, but said Macron would work with them to prepare the content of these discussions. 

The Elysée claimed both Biden and Putin agreed to the summit “on principle.”

Biden has agreed “in principle” to a meeting with Putin as long as Russia does not further invade Ukraine, according to a statement from White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

CNN has reached out to the Kremlin to ask about the agreement in principle for a summit, but did not receive an immediate response.

The Elysée said the content of the summit will be prepared by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during their planned meeting on Feb. 24. CNN is yet to confirm this assertion from the French presidency. 

President Joe Biden has agreed “in principle” to a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as long as Russia does not further invade Ukraine, according to a statement from White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

This potential summit, according to an Elysee Palace statement, was proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron.  

The meeting, according to Psaki, would happen after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meet on Feb. 24. 

Overview of helicopter deployment battle group and troops, Valuyki, Russia.

New satellite imagery shows intensified activity among Russian units close to Ukraine’s northeastern border, with units that were in garrisons appearing to take up field positions.

The satellite images were collected by Maxar on Sunday.

Maxar assesses that “multiple new field deployments of armored equipment and troops have been observed northwest of Belgorod and near Soloti and Valuyki, Russia.”

These towns are within 35 kilometers (around 21 miles) of the Russian border with Ukraine.

Maxar observes, “This new activity represents a change in the pattern of the previously observed deployments of battle groups (tanks, armored personnel carriers, artillery and support equipment). Until recently, most of the deployments had been seen primarily positioned at or near existing military garrisons and training areas.”

“Today (Sunday) most of the combat units and support equipment at Soloti have departed and extensive vehicle tracks and some convoys of armored equipment are seen throughout the area.”

The images show that encampments or staging grounds that contained substantial forces last Sunday, February 13, are now relatively empty.

“Some equipment has also been deployed east of nearby Valuyki, Russia in a field approximately 15 kilometers north of the Ukraine border,” Maxar noted.

Separately, CNN has geolocated several videos from the region over the weekend that show long columns including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and howitzers moving through rural areas in the Belgorod oblast (district).

“A number of new field deployments are also seen northwest of Belgorod (deployments are approximately 30 kilometers from the border with Ukraine) with much of the equipment and troops positioned in or near forested areas,” Maxar observed.

The images show extensive tracks where armor has moved across the countryside.

“Other company-sized units are deployed within farm and/or industrial areas.”

CNN has observed that some tanks and other vehicles in the area appears to have been marked with a large “Z” – suggesting they are being formed into a fighting unit.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby doubled down on the Biden administration’s strategy of using the threat of sanctions as a deterrent and rejected increased calls for imposing pre-invasion sanctions, saying, “[Russian President Vladimir Putin] has not conducted another invasion in Ukraine yet, and we still think there’s time to prevent that.”

Kirby said on “Fox News Sunday” that Putin still has many options on the table if he chooses to take a diplomatic off-ramp to the tensions, saying, “We have made serious proposals and talked about changing, for instance, the scope and scale of some of our exercises in Europe, being willing to talk about offensive missile capabilities in Europe. We have certainly put forward other proposals to try to convince Mr. Putin that we’re serious.”

Kirby made clear the issue of Ukraine’s membership in NATO, however, is “an issue for Ukraine and for NATO. That is not something that Mr. Putin can simply institute a veto over or decide for himself, that kind of thing is again between the alliance and Ukraine.”

Some context: Kirby would not address individual claims made by Putin, but he characterized them as “outrageous claims” and said, on the whole, “these are just not credible.”

He said that Putin is “playing the victim,” which he said is exactly out of the “Russian playbook.”

“It is absolutely right out of the Russian playbook. He may be moving Xs and Os around the field right now militarily, but it seems like he’s using the same old playbook,” Kirby said, adding, “And I don’t want to make light of this analogy. This isn’t a football game. This is potentially war and lives are at stake here.”