Ukraine-Russia crisis: What to know amid a push for a summit

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — 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.

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 hold 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 leaders.

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...