Russian ambassador to Australia on Ukraine issue

Russia's ambassador to Australia said his country is not being aggressive by massing its troops on the border with Ukraine. Alexey Pavlovsky told that Russia and every nation have a "sovereign right" to place troops anywhere it wants on its territory.

Russian Ambassador to Australia, Alexey Pavlovsky said "Our troops are not a threat. They are a warning to Ukraine, not to try any reckless military adventures,” “Western countries now, including Australia, are expressing their support, either verbally or in material terms, or by sending arms to Ukraine, they embolden Kyiv to continue their line of sabotage, to not implementing the decisions supported by the United Nations Security Council. That's why we think that such expressions of support are very dangerous, because they lead to provocations, they lead to war."  

Tensions have soared in recent weeks, as the United States and its NATO allies expressed concern that a buildup of about 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine signaled that Moscow planned to invade its ex-Soviet neighbor.