As the UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson prepares to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin, one of Russia's top diplomats says he doesn't trust British diplomacy.
Russia's Deputy UN Ambassador, Dmitry Polyanskiy, told Sky News, "There is always room for diplomacy, but frankly, we don't trust British diplomacy. I think in recent years British diplomacy has shown that it is absolutely worthless."
"I really don't want to offend anybody, especially my good friends, British diplomats, but really, the results are nothing to boast about."
Johnson will have a telephone conversation with President Putin as talks continue in a bid to find a diplomatic solution to the situation on the Ukrainian border, where US intelligence claims around 130,000 troops have massed.
Stating that the situation is being overblown by the West, Polyanskiy said that their statistics are baseless and can't be trusted.
"I think this is the same intelligence that claims that Saddam Hussein possesses the weapons of mass destruction. The hysteria doesn't stop, it's absolutely happening in the heads of Western politicians and not really on the ground.", the Russian senior diplomat added.
In a provocative move, the British prime minister's office recently said that London is planning to send more troops and weapons to NATO countries, claiming to be facing increasing Russian aggression.
The UK claimed that the plan is presented in the face of what it calls growing Russian hostility and could strengthen NATO's defense and British support for its Northern European and Baltic partners.
Rejecting the allegations, the Kremlin has repeatedly stated that it is the United States and NATO that caused tensions in Eastern Europe by ignoring Moscow's red lines, such as Ukraine's membership in NATO.
Tensions between Russia and NATO have increased recently, as Kyiv and a number of the alliance’s members have expressed concerns about the alleged “concentration" of Russian troops near its borders with Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is moving troops within its own territory and at its own discretion. According to him, this does not threaten anyone.
The US and the West have not refrained from taking any action to escalate tensions, such as sending weapons to Ukraine and neighboring countries.
Amid speculation of possible provocations, Moscow has repeatedly rejected any allegations of its planned aggression and warned that arming Kyiv could encourage it to use force against the breakaway Russian-speaking area of Donbas.
MP/PR