LONDON, January 30. /TASS/. UK Secretary of State Liz Truss and Defense Secretary Ben Wallace are supposed to improve London’s relations with Moscow during their upcoming visits to Russia, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office said in a statement, published Saturday.

According to the statement, Johnson ordered the two officials to prepare for visits to Moscow in the upcoming days to hold talks with their Russian counterparts. They will be tasked with improving relations with the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin and achieve de-escalation, the statement reads.

Earlier, the Prime Minister’s office also said that Prime Minister Johnson plans to have a phone call with Vladimir Putin next week and urge him to engage in a diplomatic dialogue on Ukraine.

Downing Street also underscored that Johnson still considers it important to take diplomatic efforts in coordination with other Western states to continue the dialogue with Russia and prevent the allegedly planned invasion of Ukraine. The statement noted that Prime Minister Johnson, US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg emphasized in their conversation with EU leaders that diplomatic negotiations with Russia remain the top priority.