Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Anthony BlinkenHELSINKI, Feb 18Finland is ready to provide a platform for a possible meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, RIA Novosti was told in the office of the President of Finland, citing the words of the head of state Sauli Niinistö. On Thursday, Blinken said that he had sent a letter to Lavrov with a proposal to meet next week in Europe. «If Finland is asked to provide good services (a place for negotiations between Lavrov and Blinken), Finland is ready to do it,» Niinistö noted. Moscow categorically denies the plans attributed to Russia to escalate the situation around Ukraine and constantly states that they are not threatening anyone, and all such statements are being used as an excuse to deploy more NATO military equipment near Russian borders. As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier, Russia does not create any pretexts for a conflict situation around Ukraine. According to him, Russia does not rule out that the hysteria around Ukraine, hyped by the West, is aimed at covering Kiev's line of sabotaging the Minsk agreements on Donbass. According to the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, the information hysteria of the USA and NATO on Ukraine is generously framed by lies and fakes. Allegations that Russia is allegedly preparing provocations in Ukraine continue to come from the West, despite the return of Russian troops to their places of deployment after the exercises . On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The head of the Ministry of Defense reported that «a part of the exercises is coming to an end, a part will be completed in the near future.» Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Tuesday that the Southern and Western military districts have begun returning troops to their places of deployment. The withdrawal of the military to the places of deployment after the exercises is a common practice, there is nothing new, President Peskov's press secretary told reporters earlier in response to a question whether the withdrawal of troops means a de-escalation of the situation around Ukraine.
Lavrov urged the West «not to shirk a serious conversation» because of Ukraine
