Top Russian and US diplomats are scheduled to speak again on Tuesday, as NATO allies work to prevent an invasion of Ukraine and demonstrate support for Kyiv.
With tens of thousands of Russian troops massed on the Ukrainian border, top-level diplomacy was once again unleashed on Tuesday in an attempt to avert a major European confrontation.
The British and Polish prime ministers were in Kyiv for discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, while Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Hungarian President Viktor Orban in Moscow and spoke with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on the phone.
The flurry of conversations was set to come to a climax later Tuesday with a phone call between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who have been at the forefront of efforts to find a way out of the situation.
After their talks, Putin was scheduled to hold a press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, where he could make his first big remarks on the subject in weeks.
Going into the meeting with Orban, Putin reiterated that Moscow had sent proposals to Washington for “written commitments” on Russia’s demands for security guarantees from the West.
“I would like to assure you that no EU leader wants war or conflict, we are ready for a rational agreement, from the EU side,” Orban told the Russian leader.
