MOSCOW: Russia said Monday that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would hold a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a time of heightened tensions between their countries over Ukraine.

"Lavrov and Blinken will have a telephone conversation on Tuesday," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters, adding there were no plans for a face-to-face meeting.

Russia to challenge NATO on security pledge: Lavrov

The upcoming call is the latest in a flurry of diplomatic meetings between senior diplomats from Moscow, Brussels and Washington over the conflict in Ukraine and disagreements over security concerns in Europe.

Fears of an imminent Russian incursion in Ukraine have grown in recent days, despite denials from Moscow and pleas from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to avoid stirring "panic" over the massive Russian military build-up on the border.

The UN Security Council is due to convene later Monday over the crisis with Washington vowing to hold Russia to account if it attacks Ukraine, including by preparing sanctions in coordination with Western allies.