British envoy heads to Moscow to try to ease Ukraine crisis
ABC News
Britain’s top diplomat heads to Moscow to try to defuse tensions raised by Russia’s military buildup near Ukraine
LONDON -- Britain’s top diplomat heads to Moscow on Wednesday to try to defuse tensions raised by Russia's military buildup near Ukraine, warning that an invasion would bring “massive consequences for all involved.”
“Russia has a choice here. We strongly encourage them to engage, de-escalate and choose the path of diplomacy,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said ahead of departing on the first visit to Moscow by the U.K.'s top envoy in more than four years.
Russia has massed over 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s border and has launched military maneuvers in the region, but says it has no plans to invade its neighbor. It wants guarantees from the West that NATO not allow Ukraine and other former Soviet nations as members, that the alliance halt weapon deployments there, and that it roll back its forces from Eastern Europe. The U.S. and NATO flatly reject these demands.
Western nations say they will impose their toughest-ever sanctions on Russian businesses and individuals if Moscow invades Ukraine.
