Putin discusses Ukraine tensions with visiting Hungarian PM

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV and MATTHEW LEE
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed tensions over Ukraine with his visiting Hungarian counterpart a day after Russian and U.S. diplomats exchanged sharp accusations at the U.N. Security Council. The Kremlin is seeking legally binding guarantees from the U.S. and NATO precluding the alliance from expanding eastwards and accepting Ukraine as a member amid fears that Russia might invade its neighbor. Washington has provided Moscow with a written response to the demands and on Monday three Biden administration officials said that the Russian government sent a written response to the U.S. proposals. But Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Russia’s state RIA Novosti news agency on Tuesday that this was “not true.”