No. 2 U.S. diplomat Biegun will visit Russia, Lithuania amid Belarus crisis

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun will travel to Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine on Aug. 24-27 to meet senior government leaders to discuss regional issues, the State Department said in a statement on Sunday.

Reuters reported exclusively on Friday that Biegun would travel to the region for talks on Belarus, sources said, as Washington seeks a peaceful resolution to that country's election crisis that averts Russian intervention.

The State Department statement made no mention of Belarus.