Blinken, in call with Lavrov, stressed diplomacy still an option

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during a 35-minute call on Saturday with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, stressed that the path for diplomatic engagement remained open in the escalating crisis between the West and Russia over Moscow's troop build up, a State Department official said.

President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin also spoke Saturday as the U.S. and other Western nations warned a war in Ukraine could ignite at any moment.