Lavrov's Ukraine warning to Europe: Deploying troops will be considered a declaration of war

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reacted sharply to the possibility of European countries deploying military units to Ukraine. Lavrov stated that such a move would be considered by Moscow as a "direct declaration of war, not a hybrid one."

Speaking at the International Youth Festival held in the city of Yekaterinburg, Lavrov also touched upon the possibility of restarting negotiations for a resolution to the Ukraine crisis. Stating that Russia has not closed the door to talks, Lavrov said, "We are ready for negotiations in both bilateral and trilateral formats. We have never abandoned negotiations."

Lavrov expressed that the talks could be held in any country convenient for the parties. The Russian minister argued that for a permanent solution, the "root causes" of the Ukraine crisis must be eliminated.

Reporting that contacts with the US are continuing, Lavrov said that proposals have come from Washington to restart bilateral dialogue. However, Lavrov emphasized that relations must be improved for a comprehensive dialogue.

Stating that they will not make agreements with European countries on security issues, Lavrov said, "When one of the European countries wants to establish a serious dialogue with us, we will listen, but we will not jump into their lap."