Ukraine's army said Friday it would not launch an offensive against pro-Russian separatists controlling two regions in the east, as fears grow of a major escalation in the long-running conflict.
The statement came after fighting between the two sides intensified in recent weeks and Russia massed troops on the border.
"The liberation of the temporarily occupied territories by force will inevitably lead to the death of a large number of civilians and casualties among the military, which is unacceptable for Ukraine," Ruslan Khomchak, chief of the general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said in a statement on Friday.
He accused Moscow of using "intimidation and blackmail by military force" to exacerbate the situation.
"Ukraine is supported by the entire civilised world. We are not alone in the face of the enemy," Khomchak added.
Also on Friday, the Turkish foreign ministry said the United States will send two warships through the Bosphorus to the Black Sea, which borders both Russia and Ukraine.
The ships will stay in the region until May 4, the foreign ministry said in a statement, while Turkish media reported that the warships will enter the Black Sea next week.
US Navy ships routinely operate in the region in support of Ukraine....afp
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