Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Lavrov said Moscow will continue to pursue a diplomatic solution to obtain security guarantees from the West.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday held a private phone conversation with the Russian and Ukrainian Foreign Ministers, in which Guterres welcomed diplomatic dialogues to reduce tensions and insisted  that there is no solution other than a diplomatic solution to the current crisis.

Guterres said he believes and hopes there will be no war in the near future.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US will close its embassy in Kyiv in the face of possible military actions in Ukraine.

In a statement, Blinken said the US is temporarily relocating its embassy from Kyiv to the city of Lviv, adding that the Biden administration remains engaged with Ukraine and is continuing active diplomatic efforts to defuse the crisis.