London, January 30. /TASS/. British Secretary of State Liz Truss and Defense Secretary Ben Wallace are expected to improve London‘s relations with Moscow during their upcoming visits to Russia, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office said in a statement on Saturday.

According to the statement, Johnson ordered the two officials to prepare for visits to Moscow in the coming days to meet with their Russian counterparts. They will be tasked with improving relations with the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin and achieving de-escalation, the statement said.

Earlier, the Prime Minister’s Office also said Prime Minister Johnson planned to have a phone call with Vladimir Putin next week and urge him to engage in diplomatic dialogue on Ukraine.

Downing Street also stressed that Johnson still considers it important to make diplomatic efforts in coordination with other Western states to continue dialogue with Russia and prevent the allegedly planned invasion of Ukraine. The statement noted that Prime Minister Johnson, US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed during their conversation with EU leaders that diplomatic negotiations with Russia remain the top priority.