Russian Foreign MInistry Confirms US Request For Phone Talks Between Lavrov and Blinken

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden, at the initiative of the US, plan to have a phone conversation on Saturday.

The Russian foreign ministry confirmed on Saturday that the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, had proposed to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to hold a phone call later in the day.

While speaking at a press-conference in Fiji on Saturday, Blinken said that he will talk to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday according to Reuters.

During the speech, the US Secretary of State once again accused Russia of "escalation" over Ukraine, claiming that a purported Russian "invasion" of the country could now start "at any time".

Russia has been constantly denying these "invasion" plan allegations, and has pointed out that NATO's military activity near Russia's borders pose a threat to its national security while hampering efforts to reach a peaceful resolution in Ukraine.

On Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry highlighted that one can talk about the conspiracy of the authorities of Western countries and the media to escalate artificial tension around Ukraine, speculating that they need it to divert attention from their own aggression.

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden are scheduled to hold a phone call following Washington's initiative.

Earlier, the White House said that Biden was also scheduled to hold a telephone call with a number of allies, including with the leaders of Germany and France as well as with the NATO and EU chiefs, to discuss the situation in Ukraine and tensions with Russia.