WASHINGTON, February 12. /TASS/. It is unclear if Russia is ready to engage in diplomacy or use force to resolve the situation around Ukraine, a senior US administration official said at a briefing dedicated to Saturday’s phone call between Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Joe Biden of the United States.

"It remains unclear whether Russia is interested in pursuing its goals diplomatically as opposed to through the use of force," he pointed out.

"We remain committed to keeping the prospect of de-escalation through diplomacy alive. But we are also clear-eyed about the prospects of that given the readily apparent steps Russia is taking," he said, adding that the stakes were too high "not to give Russia every chance to avoid an action that we believe would be catastrophic". According to the official, the US continues to pursue the path of diplomacy but at the same time, Washington is intensifying its efforts "to deter Russia and to impose costs should it decide to go ahead with military action."

The West and Kiev have recently been echoing 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 claims and warned that attempts to use military force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine would have serious consequences.