The United States said it had offered a “diplomatic path forward” in the standoff with Russia over Ukraine . On Thursday the Kremlin said it saw little grounds for optimism.

With the ball now back in Moscow’s court, the West was given little immediate sign that Russian President Vladimir Putin would seek to de-escalate tensions and allay fears of a deadly new conflict.

Russia warned it was pessimistic but indicated it would take its time to study the written responses from the U.S. and NATO before deciding how to move forward.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there were “few reasons for optimism” […]

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By Donato