Vladimir Putin

At a ceremony held in the Kremlin on Monday, Putin also inked the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between Russia and the LPR and the DPR respectively with the heads of the two "republics," a Kremlin statement said, Xinhua news agency reported. "I consider it necessary to make a long overdue decision -- to immediately recognize the independence and sovereignty of the DPR and the LPR," Putin said in a televised address to the nation.

Psaki's confirmation late Sunday night of a potential Biden-Putin summit followed a statement by the Elysee Palace in France saying the two Presidents have "accepted in principle" a virtual meeting brokered by French President Emmanuel Macron, who held separate phone calls with Biden and Putin on Sunday, reports Xinhua news agency.

“(Macron) proposed a summit to be held between President BIDEN and President PUTIN and then with relevant stakeholders to discuss security and strategic stability in Europe. Presidents BIDEN and PUTIN have both accepted the principle of such a summit,” The Elysee said in a press release after the French President spoke to his Russian and American counterparts.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin will keep waging war on neighbouring countries if he is allowed to invade Ukraine, the Daily Mail reported. As the Russian President put on a huge show of military strength with nuclear drills involving ballistic missiles, submarines and tank convoys on Saturday, Truss issued a last-ditch plea for the international community to unite to face down Moscow's aggression.

"The President of Belarus and I agreed that the key to restoring civil peace in Ukraine... is the implementation of the Minsk agreements," Putin said, Xinhua news agency reported. "All Kiev needs to do is sit down at the negotiating table with representatives of Donbas and agree on political, military, economic and humanitarian measures to end the conflict," he added, pointing out that there were growing tensions in the region.

 “Do we want this or not? Of course, not. That is exactly why we put forward proposals for a process of negotiations… We are ready to work further together. We are ready to go down the negotiations track,” Putin said in a press brief after a four-hour long meeting with Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Putin, however, said that NATO and the US must take Russia’s security concerns seriously.

Russia's Communist Party had submitted the draft resolution last month calling on Putin to formally recognise the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk republics. Experts have described Russian recognition of the Donbas as a possible prelude to an annexation of the region, the report said.

During the call, which lasted for about one hour, the two leaders discussed situation in Ukraine and related security issues, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the White House's statement and the Kremlin. Russia has not received a substantive response from the US on security guarantees, Sputnik reported, quoting Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.

According to German newspaper Der Spiegel, the US Secret Service, CIA and the Pentagon are said to have received intel of an "exceptionally detailed" invasion plan, scheduled for February 16. The plans were passed on to Biden's government and discussed in a series of secret briefings with NATO allies, the Daily Mail reported.

The meeting was businesslike and useful, Putin on Monday said at a joint press conference with Macron following their hours-long talks in the Kremlin, Xinhua news agency reported. Russia's core concerns on security were ignored by the US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), while the military alliance attempts to lecture Russia on where and how to place its armed forces, the Russian President added.