Russian President Vladimir Putin convened prime officers Monday to contemplate recognizing the independence of separatist areas in japanese Ukraine, a transfer that will ratchet up tensions with the West amid fears that the Kremlin might launch an invasion of Ukraine imminently.

The publicly staged, pre-recorded assembly of the presidential Safety Council got here amid a spike in skirmishes in eastern Ukraine that Western powers imagine Russia might use as a pretext for an assault on the western-looking democracy that has defied Moscow’s makes an attempt to tug it again into its orbit.

With an estimated 150,000 Russian troops massed on three sides of Ukraine, the U.S. has warned that Moscow has already decided to invade. Nonetheless, the American and Russian presidents tentatively agreed to a doable assembly in a last-ditch effort to keep away from warfare.

If Russia invades, the assembly can be off, however the prospect of a face-to-face summit resuscitated hopes that diplomacy might stop a devastating battle, which might lead to huge casualties and huge economic damage across Europe, which is closely depending on Russian vitality.

Even because the diplomatic efforts inched ahead, potential flashpoints multiplied. Sustained shelling continued Monday within the long-running battle in Ukraine’s east between authorities forces and Moscow-backed separatists. Unusually, Russia mentioned it had fended off an “incursion” from Ukraine — which the Ukrainians officers denied. And Russia determined to delay navy drills in Belarus, which might provide a staging floor for an assault on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

Putin’s choice to contemplate recognizing the separatist areas solely threatened so as to add gasoline to the fireplace.

Leaders of the areas launched televised statements earlier pleading with Putin to acknowledge them as impartial states and signal friendship treaties envisaging navy assist to guard them from what they described as an ongoing Ukrainian navy offensive. Russia’s decrease home of parliament made the identical plea final week.

Ukrainian authorities deny launching an offensive and accuse Russia of provocation.

The Kremlin initially signaled its reluctance to acknowledge the areas as impartial, arguing that will successfully shatter a 2015 peace deal for japanese Ukraine that marked a serious diplomatic coup for Moscow, requiring Ukrainian authorities to supply a broad self-rule to the insurgent areas.

However in Monday’s safety assembly, Putin and different officers argued that Ukrainian authorities have proven no urge for food for implementing the deal.

With the prospect of warfare looming, French President Emmanuel Macron scrambled to broker a gathering between U.S. President Joe Biden and Putin, who denies he has any plans to assault Ukraine.

Russia says it merely needs Western ensures that NATO will not permit Ukraine and different former Soviet nations to hitch as members. It has additionally demanded the alliance halt weapons deployments to Ukraine and roll again its forces from Japanese Europe — calls for flatly rejected by the West.

Macron’s workplace mentioned each leaders had “accepted the precept of such a summit,” to be adopted by a broader assembly that would come with different “related stakeholders to debate safety and strategic stability in Europe.”

The language from Moscow and Washington was extra cautious, however neither aspect denied a gathering is below dialogue.

U.S. nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan mentioned the administration has all the time been prepared to speak to avert a warfare — however was additionally ready to reply to any assault.

“So when President Macron requested President Biden yesterday if he was ready in precept to fulfill with President Putin, if Russia didn’t invade, in fact President Biden mentioned sure,” he advised NBC’s “At this time” present on Monday. “However each indication we see on the bottom proper now by way of the disposition of Russian forces is that they’re, actually, getting ready for a serious assault on Ukraine.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov advised reporters Monday that Putin and Biden might meet in the event that they take into account it “possible,” however emphasised that “it is untimely to speak about particular plans for a summit.”

Macron’s workplace mentioned that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov are set to put the groundwork for the potential summit after they meet Thursday.

Amid the hopeful indicators, there have been additionally worrying ones. Beginning Thursday, shelling spiked along the tense line of contact that separates Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed rebels in Ukraine’s japanese industrial heartland of Donbas. Over 14,000 individuals have been killed since battle erupted there in 2014, shortly after Moscow annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.

Ukraine and the separatist rebels have traded blame for large cease-fire violations with a whole bunch of explosions recorded each day. The world is watching the combating warily for any signal it might spark a bigger battle.

On Friday, separatist officers introduced the evacuation of civilians and navy mobilization within the face of what they described as an imminent Ukrainian offensive on the insurgent areas. Ukrainian officers have strongly denied any plans to launch such an assault.

Whereas Russia-backed separatists have charged that Ukrainian forces have been firing on residential areas, Related Press journalists reporting from a number of cities and villages in Ukrainian-held territory alongside the road of contact haven’t witnessed any notable escalation from the Ukrainian aspect and have documented indicators of intensified shelling by the separatists that destroyed properties and ripped up roads.

Some residents of the primary rebel-held metropolis of Donetsk described sporadic shelling by Ukrainian forces, however they added that it wasn’t on the identical scale as earlier within the battle.

The separatist authorities mentioned Monday that no less than 4 civilians have been killed by Ukrainian shelling over the previous 24 hours and several other others have been wounded. Ukraine’s navy mentioned two Ukrainian troopers have been killed over the weekend, and one other serviceman was wounded Monday.

Ukrainian navy spokesman Pavlo Kovalchyuk mentioned the separatists have been “cynically firing from residential areas utilizing civilians as shields.” He insisted that Ukrainian forces weren’t returning hearth.

Within the village of Novognativka on the Ukraine government-controlled aspect, 60-year-old Ekaterina Evseeva, mentioned the shelling was worse than on the peak of combating early within the battle.

“We’re on the sting of nervous breakdowns. And there’s nowhere to run,” she mentioned, her voice trembling.

In one other worrying signal, the Russian navy mentioned it killed 5 suspected “saboteurs” who crossed from Ukraine into Russia’s Rostov area and in addition destroyed two armored automobiles. Ukrainian Border Guard spokesman Andriy Demchenko dismissed the declare as “disinformation.”

Amid the heightened invasion fears, the U.S. administration despatched a letter to the United Nations human rights chief claiming that Moscow has compiled an inventory of Ukrainians to be killed or despatched to detention camps after the invasion. The letter, first reported by the New York Occasions, was obtained by the AP.

Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, mentioned the declare was a lie and no such record exists.

All through the disaster, Ukraine’s leaders have sought to challenge calm — repeatedly enjoying down the specter of an invasion.

The European Union’s prime diplomat, international coverage chief Josep Borrell, welcomed the prospect of a Biden-Putin summit however mentioned the 27-nation bloc has finalized its bundle of sanctions to be used if Putin orders an invasion.

The European Union has additionally agreed to ship navy officers to Ukraine in an advisory position, Overseas Minister Dmytro Kuleba mentioned Monday.