‘There is No Invasion’: Russian Ambassador Denies Troops are Preparing to Move on Ukraine in Tense Interview With CBS’s Margaret Brennan

Days after President Joe Biden said he believes Russia has “made the decision” to invade Ukraine, Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. is denying that such a choice has been, or will be made.

Speaking with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation Sunday, Anatoly Antonov — the Russian ambassador to the U.S. — completely denied that Russia is on the verge of invading Ukraine, despite U.S. estimates that 190,000 Russian troops are lining the Ukrainian border.

“There is no invasion,” Antonov said. “And there is no such plans.”

Antonov claimed that Russia’s military maneuvers are about defense rather than offense.

“Each state has a right to protect its boundary and border,” the ambassador said. “The Russian Federation, the United States, as well as any state, has such a right. It’s no exception. Russian troops are on sovereign Russian territory. We don’t threaten anyone. Why do other countries try to impose their decisions on us? Where can we deploy our troops and how many?”

Brennan called out Antonov’s false claim that troops are only gathering in Russia.

“Respectfully, Ambassador, you have troops in Belarus, which is not technically Russian territory,” Brennan said. “You have troops in Moldova. You have separatists you are funding and supporting in the east of Ukraine. This is not your territory.”

“We are talking about Belarussia,” Antonov said. “I hope that there will be an opportunity for us to discuss it. We will discuss joint drills that are undergoing.”

“It looks like intimidation,” Brennan replied. “You have over 190,000 personnel in and around Ukraine, you’ve got it surrounded on three borders. Your words and your actions don’t seem to match, sir.”

“Again and again, I would like to say you that we have our legitimate right to have our troops where we want on Russian territory, on Russian territory,” Antonov shot back. “And I would like to say you that we are not threaten[ing] to anybody. We are not threaten[ing] to [the] United States. We are not threaten[ing] to Ukraine.”

Brennan then quizzed the ambassador on why Russian president Vladimir Putin won’t meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“President Zelensky says he wants to meet with President Putin,” Brennan said. “If you’re interested in diplomacy, why doesn’t that meeting happen?”

“You say that you don’t want to listen to what I try to explain you.,” Antonov responded. “You don’t want to listen to Russian concern regarding security issues. It’s not honest because even- I’ll take a one proverb from our American friends that each coin has two sides. Why are you all looking just only on the one side? Why you prefer to ignore the second one? Why you are ignoring Russian concerns on security?”

Watch above, via CBS.