“We believe there is still time and space for diplomacy,” Kirby was quoted as saying by TASS.
According to him, Washington proceeds from the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin "has not made a final decision" on the situation around Ukraine.
The Pentagon spokesman stressed that the United States "is trying to achieve a de-escalation of tensions and develop a diplomatic path forward."
Earlier, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, during a briefing, stated that Moscow had no aggressive plans towards Ukraine, but did not rule out that Washington had such intentions.
In addition, the Russian Foreign Ministry called on Western countries to stop the escalation of tension around Ukraine.