Ukraine sent an open message to Russia: "Pull back"

Ukraine sent an open message to Russia: "Pull back"

"If Russian officials are serious when they say they don’t want a new war, Russia must continue diplomatic engagement and pull back military forces it amassed along Ukraine’s borders and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine", Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter.

"Diplomacy is the only responsible way," Kuleba added. Russia has deployed more than 100.000 troops and heavy weapons near the Ukrainian border, Western countries have said, fearing a possible invasion.

Moscow pointed out that it does not want a war with Ukraine, but a guarantee of the United States and NATO for its security. Russia "does not want to be in a position where (its) security is regularly endangered", as would be the case if Ukraine joined NATO, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday.

In a telephone conversation with French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, Ukraine's foreign minister on Saturday called on the West to "be careful and determined in contacts with Russia", saying it was in favor of a "political and diplomatic solution" to the crisis.