In an interview with FRANCE 24, Russia's Permanent Representative to the European Union denied that the six Russian naval ships in the Black Sea have anything to do with Ukraine. Vladimir A. Chizhov also insisted that Moscow has no intention to make a move on Ukrainian territory and reiterated that the Kremlin is committed to a diplomatic outcome to the crisis.
When asked why Russia had deployed such large numbers of troops and military hardware close to the Ukrainian border, Ambassador Chizhov said that this was part of "normal" exercises, and that their presence should not be considered as "threatening" to Ukraine or any other country.
