Moscow. January 19. INTERFAX-AVN - There is no risk of a full-scale war in Europe, Russia is not going to attack Ukraine, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.
"I am sure that there is no risk of a large-scale war that could unfold in Europe or anywhere else. We do not intend to take any aggressive actions. We do not intend to attack, attack or invade Ukraine," Ryabkov said at a discussion at the Valdai Club on Wednesday.
He stressed that Russia sees a risk that Ukraine will become more integrated into NATO even without obtaining the formal status of a member of the alliance.
"This is at the center of Russia's security interests, and we will do everything to reverse this situation, rebalance this situation through diplomatic channels," the deputy minister said.
"Our priority is to achieve legally binding, firm guarantees from the United States that this country, and other countries that we have already mentioned, have not become members of NATO. The well-known formula that Ukraine and Georgia will become NATO members should be excluded, replaced by the understanding that this will never happen," Ryabkov said.
