Russia affirms it will not launch war with Ukraine
(Baonghean.vn) - On December 17, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pledged that Moscow will not launch a war with Ukraine, despite increasing provocations from Kiev.
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| 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 assure you 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 Russian diplomacy believes that Kiev will continue its provocative actions in the border area between the two countries, and has information that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is planning a provocative incident later this month. Mr. Lavrov stated that Russia will have a tough response in case President Poroshenko promotes 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 this incident was a provocation by Kiev ahead of the upcoming Ukrainian presidential election campaign.