MOSCOW (AP): Russia’s top diplomat advised President Vladimir Putin on Monday to continue talks with the West on Russian security demands amid tensions over Ukraine.
Speaking at the start of a meeting with Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested that Moscow should continue a dialogue with the U.S. and its allies even though they have rejected Russia’s main Russian security demands.
He noted that the U.S. has offered to conduct dialogue on limits for missile deployments in Europe, restrictions on military drills and other confidence-building measures.
Asked by Putin if it made sense to continue diplomatic efforts, Lavrov responded that possibilities for talks haven’t been exhausted and proposed to continue the negotiations.
The meeting came as as Germany’s chancellor began a trip to Kyiv and Moscow for a last-ditch attempt to head off a feared Russian invasion of Ukraine that some warn could be only days away.
