Work underway for Putin-Biden video call, says Kremlin

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Work is under way to arrange a video call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden, the Kremlin said on Friday, a day after their top diplomats met to discuss the Ukraine crisis.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia and the United States’ positions diverged on many points after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met for talks in Stockholm.

Blinken warned Moscow of the “severe costs” Russia would pay if it invaded Ukraine, urging Lavrov to seek a diplomatic exit from the crisis. Ukraine and its NATO allies have sounded the alarm about Russian troop movements near Ukraine’s borders this year, sparking worries that a simmering conflict in eastern Ukraine could erupt into open war. Russia says it is responding to threatening behaviour from NATO and Ukraine.