WASHINGTON, February 15. /TASS/. The United States is ready to engage in diplomacy with Russia but remains clear-eyed about the prospects of that, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing, commenting on Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remark about the need for Moscow and the West to continue dialogue on security issues.

"We are actively working to reach a diplomatic solution, to de-escalate the crisis. Over the weekend, as you know, the president spoke with President Putin and we remain engaged with the Russian government in full coordination with our allies and partners. The path for diplomacy remains available if Russia chooses to engage constructively. However, we are clear-eyed about the prospects of that given the steps that Russia is taking on the ground in plain sight," she pointed out.

"It remains unclear which path Russia will choose to take, the US is ready for any situation," Jean-Pierre noted. "Clearly, we would prefer the path of diplomacy," she added.

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.