Russia's ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, said Thursday Russia is not preparing for a military invasion of Ukraine.

In an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt, Chizhov underlined that Moscow wants to support Russian-speaking people and fellows in other countries and never claimed it wanted to use power to achieve this.

The newspaper quoted Chizhov as saying that "Russia is not planning an attack against any country. I can assure you that no Russian troops are currently preparing for an invasion of Ukraine."

This comes at a time where the West is concerned about Moscow's reinforcement of its forces near borders with Ukraine.

The US urged Russia to withdraw from the borders, warning that G7 and allies would impose "tough measures" if Moscow "abandons diplomacy."

For its part, the Kremlin rejects Western accusations and asserts that Russia is threatened by NATO, which arms Kyiv and deploys aircraft and ships in the Black Sea region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this month Moscow pursues a peaceful foreign policy; however, it has the right to defend its security.

It is noteworthy that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed Wednesday that the first Russian-American and Russian-Atlantic talks on the security arrangements presented by Moscow over Ukraine are expected to take place in January. 

It is noteworthy that Russia has presented draft documents detailing its security arrangements for negotiation with the US and NATO regarding de-escalation in Ukraine.

The highlights of the documents include NATO pledges that it will not offer membership to Ukraine. Russia also demanded NATO removes all its military infrastructure in Eastern Europe after 1997.