Russia says there will be no war with Ukraine

Russia’s assembly speaker denounces conflict between “two brotherly nations,” says Crimean parliament has right to referendum, to be held March 16.
There will be no war between Russia and Ukraine, the speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament said on Friday.
“It’s complete nonsense, it absolutely does not reflect our intentions, the feelings of empathy and the pain we feel for the Ukrainian people,” said Valentina Matviyenko, head of the Russian Federation Council.
“We are absolutely sure that there will never be a war between the two brotherly nations.”
The parliament in Ukraine’s southern Crimea region said on Thursday it would hold a referendum on whether the region should join Russia on March 16.
“Yesterday we learned about the historic decision taken by the Crimean parliament to hold a referendum on accession, on entry into the Russian Federation,” said Valentina Matviyenko, head of the Russian Federation Council.