LONDON, February 5. /TASS/. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed that the search for a diplomatic solution to the current tensions over Ukraine should remain a priority, according to the press release published by Johnson’s office on Saturday after the two leaders’ telephone conversation.

"The leaders updated one another on their respective discussions with international partners, including the Prime Minister’s visit to Kyiv [Kiev] last week. They agreed that finding a diplomatic solution to the current tensions must remain the overriding priority," the document says.

Additionally, Macron and Johnson touched upon sanctions against Russia and cooperation within NATO in light of the alliance’s beefed-up presence in Eastern Europe.

"The Prime Minister and President Macron stressed that NATO must be united in the face of Russian aggression. They agreed to continue to work together to develop a package of sanctions which would come into force immediately should Russia further invade Ukraine," the press release reads.

"The leaders discussed their work to strengthen NATO’s Eastern flank, ensuring that allies are fully defended against malicious Russian activity, wherever and however it might occur," it added.

The Downing Street pointed out that the two leaders discussed the problem of illegal migration in the Channel and agreed that they need to cooperate to stop people traffickers.

The West and Kiev have recently been spreading allegations about Russia’s potential ‘invasion’ of Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these claims as "empty and unfounded", serving as a ploy to escalate tensions, pointing out that Russia did not pose any threat whatsoever to anyone. However, Peskov did not rule out the possibility of provocations aimed at justifying such allegations and warned that attempts to use military force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine would have serious consequences.