Russia says ready to continue diplomacy amid Ukraine crisis
Al JazeeraRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov urges President Vladimir Putin to continue talks on resolving the standoff with Western powers over Ukraine. “They also reviewed ongoing diplomatic and deterrence efforts in response to Russia’s continued military build-up on Ukraine’s borders and reaffirmed their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” For its part, the British government said Biden and Johnson “agreed there remained a crucial window for diplomacy and for Russia to step back from its threats towards Ukraine.” Russia has positioned more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders but denies planning to invade, accusing the West, which has sent a flurry of officials to Moscow and Kyiv, of hysteria. Scholz urges dialogue German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Kyiv on Monday, vowing that Berlin and its Western allies would maintain support for Ukraine’s security and independence, urging Russia to take up “offers of dialogue”. Guterres expressed “serious concern” during his phone calls with Russia’s Lavrov and Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Monday over the heightened tensions, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. “It has nothing to do with NATO, which is enshrined in the constitution.” The Kremlin said that Ukraine renouncing its aspirations to join the Western military alliance would significantly help address Russia’s concerns.