LONDON, February 16. /TASS/. UK Foreign Secrerary Liz Truss said she had a phone conversation with her German, US and French counterparts on Tuesday to discuss the situation around Ukraine.
"Alongside our allies we stand united and in agreement that any invasion would be a massive strategic mistake with severe consequences for the Russian government," Truss wrote on Twitter.
In turn, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a Twitter post that the sides also discussed relations with Russia.
"Had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. We maintain our collective vigilance regarding the tensions with Russia: de-escalation should be translated into actions, the dialogue continues," he wrote.
According to the US Department of State, the top diplomats also discussed anti-Russian sanctions, to be imposed in case of a purported Russian invasion of Ukraine.
US Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement that the conversation was aimed at coordinating "implementation of the massive consequences and severe costs to be imposed if Russia invades Ukraine."
"All parties expressed resolute support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and commitment to strong transatlantic coordination to counter Russia’s threats against Ukraine and European security," the statement says.
Concerns over Moscow’s alleged preparations for an invasion into Ukraine became more and more frequent 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 rule out possible provocations to justify such claims and warned that the attempts to resolve the Ukrainian conflict by force would carry extremely serious consequences.