US says Russia closer to invading Ukraine, agrees to meeting

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – President Joe Biden has agreed “in principle” to a meeting with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin as long as that country holds off on what U.S. officials believe is an imminent assault on Ukraine.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Sunday that the administration has been clear that the U.S. is "committed to pursuing diplomacy until the moment an invasion begins.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are set to meet on Thursday in Europe as long as a further invasion doesn’t occur. That caveat gave the proposal the appearance of a last-ditch diplomatic gambit.