BRUSSELS, March 06. /ITAR-TASS/. Parliament-approved Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told a news conference in Brussels on Friday that Ukraine’s interim government would not resort to military force in the Crimean conflict if the country was not subject to a direct military invasion.

Yatsenyuk, who had met EU leaders ahead of the EU summit in Brussels, said the Ukrainian armed forces “had been subject to repeated provocations with an aim to force them to open fire. However, the military have been showing restraint so long as there is a possibility of a diplomatic settlement.”

Yatsenyuk described the events in Crimea as a direct Russian military aggression and urged Russia not to recognize the Crimean government.

“Crimea has been and will remain an integral part of Ukraine,” he said.

“We are calling on Russia not to recognize the so-called government of Crimea,” Yatsenyuk told a news conference after meeting the leaders of the 28 EU countries who had gathered for an emergency summit in Brussels on Friday.

At the same time, he spoke in favor of a political and diplomatic settlement to the Crimean crisis, having urged Russia to sit down to talks and start real negotiations with an aim to find a peaceful solution.

“We do not want the conflict to be frozen or hot,” Yatsenyuk said, adding the Ukrainian military would act in compliance with Ukraine’s Constitution in case of further escalation or military intervention.

“We are ready to defend our country,” Yatsenyuk stressed.