British envoy in Moscow to try to ease Ukraine crisis

MOSCOW — Britain’s top diplomat flew Wednesday to Moscow, seeking to defuse tensions raised by Russia’s military buildup near Ukraine and 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.

“Russia should be in no doubt about the strength of our response,” said Truss, who will meet Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during the two-day visit.

Truss urged Moscow to abide by its international agreements that commit it to respecting Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova again rejected warnings from Washington and its allies of a possible Russian invasion, calling them “absurd.”

“We have no aggressive plans, but I have a feeling that the U.S. does,” she said, adding that Washington’s statements reminded her of the rhetoric before the U.S. war in Iraq.

Several dozen Ukrainians rallied outside the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, urging Washington to use its international clout to prevent a Russian offensive.

Western leaders in recent weeks have engaged in multiple rounds of high-stakes diplomacy in hopes of de-escalating the crisis.