Russia's foreign minister says Moscow has "absolutely no intention"
of ordering its armed forces to cross over the Ukrainian border, in a
statement that appears to rule out an invasion of mainland Ukraine
following Russia's seizure of Crimea.
"We have absolutely no intention and no interests in crossing the Ukrainian border," Sergei Lavrov told Russian state television on Saturday.
"We (Russia and the West) are getting closer in our positions," he added, saying recent contacts had shown the outlines of a "possible joint initiative which could be presented to our Ukrainian colleagues".
Lavrov's comments came after US President Barack Obama urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to withdraw troops from near the Ukraine border, in the first direct contact between the two leaders since the Crimea takeover.
The White House said on Saturday that Obama had urged Putin, in a "frank and direct" telephone conversation, to ease tensions by removing troops, and respond to proposals for a diplomatic solution put forward by the US earlier this week.
Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher reporting from Washington DC, said: "It is really about trying to push forward, get some sort of diplomatic solution that everyone can live with. No one is going to get exactly what they want out of this, but Barack Obama believes that the diplomacy is the way ahead."
Read more: Russia rules out intention to invade Ukraine - Europe - Al Jazeera English
"We have absolutely no intention and no interests in crossing the Ukrainian border," Sergei Lavrov told Russian state television on Saturday.
"We (Russia and the West) are getting closer in our positions," he added, saying recent contacts had shown the outlines of a "possible joint initiative which could be presented to our Ukrainian colleagues".
Lavrov's comments came after US President Barack Obama urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to withdraw troops from near the Ukraine border, in the first direct contact between the two leaders since the Crimea takeover.
The White House said on Saturday that Obama had urged Putin, in a "frank and direct" telephone conversation, to ease tensions by removing troops, and respond to proposals for a diplomatic solution put forward by the US earlier this week.
Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher reporting from Washington DC, said: "It is really about trying to push forward, get some sort of diplomatic solution that everyone can live with. No one is going to get exactly what they want out of this, but Barack Obama believes that the diplomacy is the way ahead."
Read more: Russia rules out intention to invade Ukraine - Europe - Al Jazeera English
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