The US President Joe Biden has agreed “in principle” to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to discuss Ukraine.

In a statement last night, the White House said Russia “appears to be continuing preparations for a full-scale assault on Ukraine very soon”.

It said the US is “always ready for diplomacy” and confirmed that President Biden could meet his Russian counterpart in the coming days “if an invasion hasn’t happened”.

The meeting could happen after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meet in Europe this week.

Ukrainians attend the Unity March for Ukraine in downtown Lviv. Image: Mykola Tys / Alamy Stock Photo

Meanwhile, American citizens in Russa have been warned to have evacuation plans at the ready as tensions increase.

The US Embassy in Moscow warned citizens over the threat of attacks in Moscow and St Petersburg against shopping centres, railway and metro stations.

Russian authorities have dismissed the claims.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney will discuss the tensions with his European counterparts at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels today.

The Ukrainian foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will address the meeting, as ministers discuss a coordinated EU response.

US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin participate in a tete-a-tete during a US-Russia Summit in Geneva. Image: Geopix / Alamy Stock Photo

In a statement, Minister Coveney said the developments in recent days have been “very concerning”.

“We urgently need to see a move towards de-escalation, stabilisation and diplomacy by Russia, including a substantial withdrawal of military forces, respect for the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and the halting of information manipulation,” he said.

“As we have made clear at the UN Security Council, Ireland is a steadfast and consistent supporter of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.”

Speaking to On the Record with Gavan Reilly yesterday afternoon, Minister Coveney said the outlook was now “pretty bleak” with most world leaders now expecting an invasion.

“I think it's important I'm honest with the public on this - there is a real sense of foreboding that things are moving in the wrong direction,” he said.

“The response to that, I think, has to be for us to continue to try.”

He said an invasion would "fundamentally change" the relationship between Russia and the rest of Europe for some time to come.