Despite fears that Russia is contemplating an invasion of its neighbour, Russia’s top diplomat said on Friday that Moscow will not start a war in Ukraine but warned that the West will not be allowed to trample on its security interests.
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, had warned Ukraine’s leader a day before that Russia could take military action against the former Soviet state in February.
“As far as the Russian Federation is concerned, there will be no conflict; we do not desire a war,” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov declared in a live interview with Russian radio stations. “However, we will not stand by and let our interests to be trampled on.”
Tensions have risen in recent weeks, and the US and its NATO allies have been keeping a close eye on a buildup of more than 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine, fearful that Moscow is planning an invasion. Russia has denied having such plans, but has asked that NATO guarantee Ukraine would never be allowed to join the council and that the alliance reduce troop and military equipment deployments in Eastern Europe.
The US and NATO formally rejected such requests this week, while Washington did highlight areas where talks may take place, giving hope that a peaceful solution could be found.
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