Good morning and welcome to another cliffhanger week of diplomacy and worst-case scenario preparations on Russia and Ukraine.
Following the latest diplomatic efforts led by Emmanuel Macron, the White House and French presidency said overnight that Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden had accepted the “principle” of a summit to discuss Ukraine. There has not yet been any confirmation of the proposed summit from the Kremlin.
The economic impact of a protracted conflict — or even just the threat thereof — on the EU’s post-pandemic recovery is likely to feature prominently at the informal meeting of finance ministers in Paris later this week. We’ll bring you the latest, including what eurogroup chief Paschal Donohoe had to say on the economic outlook.