British foreign minister Boris Johnson will visit Moscow on Dec. 22 and hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov during his trip, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
The British government announced in October that Johnson would travel to Moscow later this year – the first visit to Russia by a British foreign minister in five years – to discuss international security issues.
The date and details of his visit have not been previously reported.
Johnson’s visit comes at a time when relations between London and Moscow are strained by differences over Ukraine and Syria as well as by allegations, which Russia flatly denies, of it meddling in the politics of various European countries.
Two sources with direct knowledge of Johnson’s visit, who declined to be named because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said Britain’s top diplomat would be in the Russian capital on Friday, Dec. 22.