Russia affirms it will not wage war against Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Photo: Getty

In an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda Radio, Mr. Lavrov emphasized: "We will not launch a war with Ukraine, I promise you that."

The Russian Foreign Minister affirmed that there is no need to sever diplomatic relations with Ukraine. He shared: "I think that severing relations is unnecessary. The Ukrainian people do not deserve criticism, and I am sure that the majority of Ukrainians want peace for their country, want to remove the shameful regime and return to normal relations with Russia."

The head of Russia's foreign ministry said that Kiev would continue its provocations on the border between the two countries, and that he had information that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was planning a provocation later this month. Mr. Lavrov said that Russia would respond harshly if President Poroshenko went ahead with this plan.

In late November, three Ukrainian naval vessels illegally entered the Russian border area, and were immediately detained by the Russian coast guard after they did not stop at Moscow's request. President Vladimir Putin declared that the incident was a provocation by Kiev ahead of the upcoming Ukrainian presidential election campaign.