LONDON, Feb 9 - British Defense Minister Ben Wallace is due to travel to Moscow later this week as London cranks up its efforts to head off a possible invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, Defense News reported.

Wallace started the week meeting his Polish counterpart Mariusz Blaszczak in London on Feb. 7 to discuss the deteriorating situation and looks like ending the week in Moscow for talks with Russian defense minister Sergey Shoigu.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is also due in Moscow for talks with her counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on Feb. 10, although the visit is said to be separate to Wallace’s trip.

The British defense minister will add the Russian capital to a list of visits that has seen him shuttle between London, the Netherlands, NATO headquarters, Germany, Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia in recent weeks as tensions on the Ukrainian border rise with Moscow continuing its build-up of troops and weapons.

Wallace originally invited Shoigu to London for discussions on mutual security concerns and the rising tensions caused by the more than 100,000 Russian troops sitting on the border with Ukraine.

Instead, in reply, Shoigu invited Wallace to Moscow. For the moment nobody is confirming the precise date of the visit.

A British Ministry of Defense spokesman would only say that “later this week, the defense secretary is expected to travel to Moscow to further diplomatic discussions with his Russian counterpart.”

It’s likely to be a frosty meeting, and not because of Moscow’s chilly temperatures. Wallace has already told the British Parliament he is “not optimistic " about the outcome of the discussions.

The Moscow talks will come at the end of a hectic week for British efforts to dissuade the Russians from invading the Ukraine.

Wallace announced Britain is to dispatch an additional 350 troops to Poland in the coming days. Royal Marines from 45 Commando will deploy to Poland to provide support with joint exercises, contingency planning and capacity building, said the MoD in a statement.

The British said the deployment is being offered on a bilateral basis and is not part of any NATO effort.

The British already have a light cavalry squadron numbering 150 troops stationed in Poland.

Britain also has around 100 troops in the Ukraine conducting training.

The British recently delivered around 2000 NLAW weapons to the Ukraine to strengthen its anti-tank capabilities. (dn/ez)