Moscow has no intention to send troops into Ukraine: Lavrov

PanARMENIAN.Net - Moscow has no intention of sending troops into Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, according to BBC News.

His comments came after the U.S. and Russian presidents discussed a possible diplomatic solution to the crisis.

In an interview with state TV channel Rossiya 1 on Saturday, March 29, 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 Lavrov had spoken by phone to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, in a conversation that Russian officials said was initiated by the U.S.

That call followed an hour-long phone discussion late on Friday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama. Putin had contacted President Obama, according to U.S. officials.