Vladimir Putin's decision for thousands of troops posted near the Ukrainian border to return to their permanent bases is a step in the right direction, but there can be no talk about lifting the sanctions for the time being. For this, “Ukraine’s territorial integrity andsovereignty would have to be restored”, said in BrusselsMajaKocijančič, a spokeswoman for the EU Commission.Over the last weekend, Putin had ordered approximately 17,600 troops to return home from the southern region of Rostov.
Moscow says it opposes direct confrontation with the West despite its hostile moves against Russia, as a joint international effort is needed to counter threats to global stability,Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.Lavrov told European businesspeople that Western sanctions imposed on Moscow are not helping to resolve the Ukraine crisis. Sergei Lavrov told a meeting of the Association of EuropeanBusinesses that the sanctions "do not contribute to de-escalation of the situation in Ukraine."
The remarks followed Lavrov's recent calls for a "reset" with the United States and a series of measures aimed at defusing the tensions.
"Despite the hostile behavior of the Western partners, we still opposes sliding into the primitive scenario of a direct confrontation between Russia and the West," Lavrov said inan interview with the Journal of Moscow State Institute of International Relations.
"Russia is ready to continue contributing to the solution of the cross-border issues, but there must be mutual respect and equal rights," the RIA Novosti news agency quotedLavrov as saying.
Moscow will, as always, try to seek agreements with its partners to secure the balance of interests, as Russia's foreign policy principles are designed to pursue agreements inaccord with Russian national interests and lawful interests of its partners, Lavrov said.
While blaming the West for causing the Ukrainecrisis, the Russian foreign minister said the Ukrainecrisis has seriously destabilized international order, which will have a long-term impact.
Nevertheless, Moscow said will react with "necessary steps" to construction of a new U.S. military base in Romania, Russia's ambassador to NATO Alexander Grushko saidMonday.
Implementation of the U.S. plan would undermine Russia's security and force Moscow to undertake corresponding measures to tackle that threat, said Grushko at a securityconference held here. "The U.S. ignores the interests of regional security."A new American military base in Deveselu, Romania is due to be up and running next year as a part of NATO's overall ballistic missile defense system, the U.S. Department ofthe Navy said Saturday in a statement.
According to the U.S. plan, Deveselu will host a land-based SM- 3 ballistic missile defense interceptor site and the facility is scheduled to be operational starting in 2015.
Grushko considered the Ukraine crisis as an example of western failure to create the system of undivided security in Europe in spite of Russia's great contribution" to theEuropean security.
In a parallel development, Ukraine's parliament has approved a new defense minister as the country remains bogged down in daily clashes with pro-Russian separatist forces in its industrial easternregions.
Out of 247 deputies that voted Tuesday, all but two approved former National Guard head Stepan Poltorak for the post.
His predecessor, Valeriy Heletey, came under sustained criticism for his handling of military operations in eastern Ukraine, where rebels managed to reverse governmentsuccesses with a consistent supply of powerful weaponry.
A cease-fire has been in place since early September, but violations are reported daily.
Critics of Poltorak's new appointment noted that he had served as head of Interior Ministry troops for a time under deposed President Viktor Yanukovych, when anti-governmentprotests were met with tough responses from anti-riot personnel.