MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin and the West have held out the possibility of a diplomatic path out of the Ukraine crisis. That comes even as Russia appears to be continuing preparations for a potential invasion. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov signaled Monday that Russia was ready to keep talking about the security grievances that have led to the crisis. The comments seemed designed to send a message to the world about President Vladimir Putin’s own position and offered some hope that war could be averted. That’s even though Washington, London and other allies kept up their warnings that troops could move on Ukraine as soon as Wednesday. The fears stem from the fact that Russia has massed more than 130,000 Russian troops on Ukraine’s borders to the north, south and east.
Photo: In this photo taken from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, a self-propelled artillery mount fires at the Osipovichi training ground during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills in Belarus. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
