Russia vows response to possible foreign troop in Ukraine, asset seizure

Russia will respond to any deployment of European military forces in Ukraine as well as to attempts to seize Russian assets in Europe, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday, reported Xinhua.

Speaking at a government hour session in the Federation Council, Lavrov said Moscow was prepared for retaliatory measures if European countries take what he called "hostile steps."

"As President (Vladimir Putin) emphasized, we are not going to fight with Europe. We have no such thoughts," Lavrov said. "But we will respond to any hostile steps, including the deployment of European military contingents in Ukraine and the expropriation of Russian assets, and we are already ready for this response."

The foreign minister said that the West is not united on the Ukrainian settlement and accused Europe of delaying the process of reaching a diplomatic resolution in Ukraine.

European discussions on possible security commitments to Ukraine and debates over the use of frozen Russian assets have intensified in recent months.

The G7 countries said on Monday that they will continue to develop, in line with their respective legal frameworks, a wide range of financing options to support Ukraine, including the potential use of the full value of immobilized Russian assets.