Russian Foreign Minister Liz Truss could visit Moscow under plans

MOSCOW, Jan 23 Reuters - British foreign minister Liz Truss could visit Moscow under plans to be examined by authorities, a Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman said on Sunday, at a time of high tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine.

Such a query was received from the British side, the possibility of such a visit is being considered, according to a spokeswoman for the Russian ministry, Maria Zakharova, did not give a possible timeframe for the trip.

A diplomatic source said on Saturday that Truss was expected to visit Moscow in February for talks with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

Russia has tens of thousands of troops on its borders with Ukraine, and Western states fear Moscow is planning a new attack on the country it invaded in 2014. Moscow denies planning an attack but says it could take unspecified military action unless a list of demands is met, including a promise from NATO never to admit Kyiv.

A senior UK minister said on Sunday that Russia would face severe economic sanctions if it installs a puppet regime in Ukraine, after Britain accused the Kremlin of trying to install a pro-Russian leader there.

The visit of a head of the Foreign Office in Moscow would be the first since Boris Johnson, now the UK Prime Minister, travelled to Moscow in December 2017.

A senior British defence ministry source said on Saturday Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had also agreed to talks with British counterpart Ben Wallace in Moscow.