WASHINGTON, February 9. /TASS/. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan discussed the US and NATO readiness to continue dialogue with Russia during a phone call with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday, the White House said.

"They discussed the readiness of the U.S. and NATO to continue engaging in dialogue with Russia to find a diplomatic path toward de-escalation. They also underscored the readiness of Allies to defend against any threat to NATO Allies’ territory, including by reinforcing the eastern flank in response to potential Russian aggression," NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne said in a statement.

In her words, Sullivan and Stoltenberg also noted "their shared concern about Russia’s build-up of forces along Ukraine’s border," and underscored their commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Concerns over Moscow’s alleged preparations for an invasion into Ukraine have been increasingly announced in the West and in Kiev recently. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these statements as an empty and groundless escalation of tension, emphasizing that Russia posed no threat to anyone. At the same time, the Kremlin press secretary did not exclude some possible provocations to justify such claims and warned that the attempts to resolve the Ukrainian conflict by force would carry extremely serious consequences.