29/03/2014 16:22
Russia vows no Ukraine invasion
Moscow has no intention of sending troops into Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said, according to the BBC.
His comments came after the US and Russian presidents discussed a possible diplomatic solution to the crisis.
The US-backed plan calls for Russia to halt to its military build-up on the border with Ukraine and withdraw its troops to base in Crimea.
In an interview with state TV channel Rossiya 1 on Saturday, Mr Lavrov said: "We have absolutely no intention of - or interest in - crossing Ukraine's borders."
He added that Russia was ready to protect "the rights of Russians and Russian-speaking people in Ukraine, using all available political, diplomatic and legal means."
After the interview was broadcast, it emerged Mr Lavrov had spoken by phone to US Secretary of State John Kerry, in a conversation that Russian officials said was initiated by the US.