Diplomats meet in Moscow and Berlin as Russian drills held

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Britain’s top diplomat has urged Russia to defuse tensions over Ukraine and take the path of diplomacy even as thousands of Russian troops engaged in sweeping maneuvers in Belarus as part of a military buildup near Ukraine that has fueled Western fears of an invasion. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss again warned Moscow Thursday that attacking its neighbor will “have massive consequences and carry severe costs,” urging it to de-escalate the tensions and abide by its international agreements that commit it to respecting Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty. Facing Truss across the table, the grim-faced Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov set a stern tone for the talks, emphasizing that Moscow will not accept Western lecturing.