MOSCOW (Reuters) - The decision to scale back British-Russian dialogue was a groundless and untimely decision by London, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday, on the eve of British foreign minister Boris Johnson’s visit to Moscow.

Johnson’s visit on Dec. 22 for talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss international security issues will be the first visit to Russia by a British foreign minister in five years.