Russian foreign minister asks West and Ukraine authorities not to make a problem out of Rostov region drills
MOSCOW. April 3 (Interfax) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called on the new Ukrainian authorities and Western countries not to make a problem out of the Russian Armed Forces' exercises in the Rostov region.
"There are no restrictions on any movements of military units within the territory of the Russian Federation, and our Western partners recognize the absence of any problems there in terms of the law. I would not exaggerate this topic, as the current Ukrainian authorities and their sponsors in the West are trying to do now," Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow on Thursday.
"Following the completion of the exercises in the Rostov region, one of the battalions involved in these drills has already returned to its permanent base in the Rostov region. The remaining units will also return to their permanent bases as they finish tackling the tasks assigned to them," he said.
The attitude displayed by the new Ukrainian leadership and the West toward these military exercises in Russia is unreasonable, Lavrov said.
"In our opinion, if a term like "de-escalation" is introduced, one should refrain from ramping up rhetoric. First and foremost, it is necessary to de-escalate this rhetoric, which today is going over the top and beyond any reasonable limits, and which makes us think once again that those who are doing so are have got far out of touch with reality," Lavrov said.