Western troops in Ukraine would mean direct war: Russian FM

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that Russia would consider the deployment of Western troops on Ukrainian territory a declaration of direct war, reported Xinhua.

"Let me emphasize that we have no interest in getting involved in this, but if Europe, which talks every day about preparing for war against Russia, attacks the Russian Federation, that will be a completely different war, and it will be very short," he said at the International Festival of Youth in Yekaterinburg.

Lavrov added that Moscow remains ready for a diplomatic settlement, including in the trilateral format that the United States proposed again. He noted, however, that Russia's position on a settlement to the conflict still implies fulfilling the objectives set at the outset and eliminating the root causes.

"Therefore, for us, addressing the root causes of threats and protecting the rights of Russian people, their right to their native language and Orthodox faith, are absolutely clear and well-defined objectives of the special military operation," he noted.

"I am confident that achieving these goals, as formulated by President Vladimir Putin, will help not only resolve this crisis but also improve the situation across the entire Eurasian continent, primarily in its western, European part and beyond. This will contribute to the establishment of a world order rooted in a balance of interests and international rules," Lavrov added.