MOSCOW: Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Thursday that his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, had assured him Moscow wanted to find a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis.

Speaking at a joint news conference following talks, Di Maio said he welcomed an announcement by Lavrov that Russia would send a reply to the United States later in the day on the issue of security guarantees.

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"I think it's very good news, a very good signal," Di Maio said.