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UK foreign minister Truss to visit Russia in Feb - RIA cites source

[January 22, 2022] MOSCOW (Reuters) - British foreign minister Liz Truss is expected to visit Moscow in February for talks with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, the RIA news agency reported on Saturday, citing a diplomatic source.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss walks out to greet European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic at Chevening House in Sevenoaks, south of London, Britain January 13, 2022. Ben Stansall/Pool via REUTERS

The planned visit comes amid elevated tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine. Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made no breakthrough in talks on the issue this week but agreed to keep talking to try to resolve a crisis that has stoked fears of a military conflict.

"The British foreign minister has asked for the opportunity to travel to Moscow for talks with Lavrov. Moscow has agreed for the visit in February," RIA quoted its source as saying.

Russia's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment.

Britain and its NATO allies have expressed deep concern over Russia's military build-up on the border with Ukraine and have warned it of severe economic consequences if it invades.

Russia denies plans to invade Ukraine but is demanding legally binding security guarantees from the United States and NATO.

Britain said on Monday it had started supplying Ukraine, which is not a member of the NATO alliance, with anti-tank weapons to help it defend itself from a potential invasion.

Speaking in Australia earlier this week, Truss said Britain and its allies must respond together to global threats, deepen ties with democracies in the Indo-Pacific and "face down global aggressors" who were using economic dependence to try to get what they want.

(Reporting by Polina Devitt; editing by Gareth Jones)


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