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Johnson to talk with Putin, then meet Zelensky in Ukraine — spokesman

Earlier, the UK Prime Minister informed that during the talks with the Russian President he would seek a de-escalation on the Russian-Ukrainian border

LONDON, January 31. /TASS/. UK Prime Minister Boris Jonson plans to talk by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday to discuss the situation around Ukraine, a spokesman for the prime minister’s office told reporters.

On February 1, Johnson will travel to Ukraine to meet the country’s president, Vladimir Zelensky. The UK prime minister will be accompanied on the visit by UK Foreign Minister Liz Truss.

Johnson earlier said that during the talks with Putin he would seek a de-escalation on the Russian-Ukrainian border. His office said the prime minister still believes it’s important to take diplomatic efforts in tandem with other Western countries to continue dialogue with Russia and prevent a purportedly planned invasion of Ukraine.

There has been a flurry of statements in the West and Kiev lately that Russia could invade Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said they were unsubstantiated escalation and that Russia doesn’t threaten anyone. At the same time, he didn’t rule out provocations to corroborate these Western statements and warned that the use of force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine will have serious consequences.