The Kremlin said Friday that work was on to schedule a video call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Joe Biden, amid soaring tensions over the conflict in Ukraine. “The exact date has still not been agreed,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, saying that they would talk over “video conference.” “There are proposals for dates on both sides, but they have not yet synchronised.” The confirmation from the Kremlin comes after the Russian foreign ministry on Thursday said it hoped for contact between the two leaders in the coming days. Tensions have skyrocketed in recent weeks after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken last month said Russia had massed troops around Ukraine and warned Moscow against an invasion. Kiev said Russia has deployed around 115,000 troops near its borders, on Moscow-annexed Crimea and in two eastern regions held by pro-Russian rebels. The Kremlin denied the allegations and accused the United States of stoking tensions. Despite increased contacts between the two rivals since Putin and Biden met for the first time at a summit in Geneva in June, tensions have remained high. As well as the Ukraine conflict, Russia and the United States continue to argue over cyberattacks and the staffing of their embassies, after several waves of diplomatic expulsions.