Britain rejects Russia's allegations that Ukraine plans to escalate conflict

LONDON - British Chief of Defence Staff Tony Radakin rejected Russia's allegations that Ukraine is planning actions to escalate the conflict in a call on Monday with Russian military Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov.

"The military leaders both agreed on the importance of maintaining open channels of communication between the UK and Russia to manage the risk of miscalculation and to facilitate de-escalation," the defence ministry said in a statement.