World leaders are making another diplomatic push in hopes of preventing a Russian invasion of Ukraine, even as heavy shelling continues in Ukraine’s east and the Kremlin considered recognizing the independence of the separatist regions in eastern Ukraine. The White House said President Joe Biden had agreed “in principle” to meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin if he refrains from launching an assault on his neighbor that U.S. officials say appears increasingly likely. A Biden-Putin meeting would offer some new hope of averting a Russian invasion that U.S. officials said could begin any moment from the estimated 150,000 Russian troops that have amassed near Ukraine. Here is a look at the latest developments in the security crisis in Eastern Europe: WILL BIDEN AND PUTIN MEET? The U.S. and Russian presidents have tentatively agreed to meet in a last-ditch diplomatic effort to stave off Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Yet but both seem cautious about a possible meeting. The White House says the meeting will only happen if Russia does not invade Ukraine, noting that heavy shelling is continuing in eastern Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, for his part, said Monday that “it’s premature to talk about specific plans for a summit.” French President Emmanuel Macron sought to broker the possible meeting between Biden and Putin in a series of phone calls that dragged deep into the night. Macron’s office said both leaders had “accepted the principle of such a summit,” to be followed by a broader summit meeting involving other leaders too. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are to lay the groundwork for the summit at a meeting Thursday, according to Macron’s office. WHAT’S THE SITUATION ON THE UKRAINE’S EASTERN FRONT? Heavy shelling has increased in recent days along the tense line of contact between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatist rebels in Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland of Donbas. It’s a war that began in 2014 after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. The fighting has claimed at least 14,000 lives but had been largely quiet for a while. Ukrainian military spokesman Pavlo Kovalchyuk said Ukrainian positions were shelled 80 times Sunday and eight times early Monday, noting that the separatists were “cynically firing from residential areas using civilians as shields.” He said Ukrainian forces weren’t returning fire. In the village of Novognativka on the government-controlled side, 60-year-old Ekaterina Evseeva, said the shelling was worse than at the height of fighting. “It’s worse than 2014,” she said, her voice trembling. “We are on the edge of nervous breakdowns. And there is nowhere to run.” PUTIN MULLS INDEPENDENCE FOR SEPARATIST REGIONS Putin convened top officials Monday to consider recognizing the independence of the Russia-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine. The meeting of the presidential Security Council comes amid Western fears that Russia could use the skirmishes in eastern Ukraine as a pretext for an attack. Putin’s statement follows televised statements by separatist leaders, who pleaded with Putin to recognize them as independent states and sign friendship treaties envisaging military aid to protect them from what they described as the ongoing Ukrainian military offensive. Russia’s lower house made the same plea last week. Ukrainian authorities deny launching an offensive and accuse Russia of provocation amid intensifying shelling along the line of contact. RUSSIAN TROOPS STAY IN BELARUS, ADDING […]

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