Russia has no intention of invading Ukraine and favours finding a diplomatic solution, Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said at a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York, Report informs.
"The situation changed unexpectedly. The deployment of Russian troops to the border with Ukraine resulted from activity in the region. Now the situation is moving towards civil war, and we are trying to resolve the issue through diplomatic efforts, which are of particular importance to us. Some Ukrainian officials say they do not see an inevitable threat from Russia, but at the same time they say that Russia is fueling tensions," he said.
Accusing Ukraine of non-compliance with the Minsk agreements, Nebenzya said that if sanctions are imposed against Moscow, the US and the EU will have to pay for this: "They talk about sanctions. We have learned to live with them. I hope they don't, but if it happens, we'll definitely respond," Nebenzya stressed.