KYIV. Aug 27 (Interfax) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko excluded the possibility of an armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia and said he had never made any "tactless" statements about the Russian people or government.

"I would immediately rule out the possibility of any moves than could be called military. That is shallow. It is very primitive conduct today to use weapons or aggression as a scare tactic," the presidential press service quoted Yushchenko as saying in an interview with Ukrainian newspapers Ukrayina Moloda, Den and Delo.

"An answer to whether Ukraine will or will not prove viable depends not on Moscow but on us, each of us," he added.

He expressed confidence that it is impossible to deprive Ukraine of its independence, "Millions of people would rise to prevent this. And it is not a plaything for two or three politicians. It is the position of tens of millions of people. It is an obvious challenge, whether Ukraine is to exist or not," he said.

Yushchenko also complained that many Ukrainian politicians "go as far as playing political games," insisted that, in their dialogue, Ukraine and Russia be equal partners, and argued that national unity is the main source of a country's domestic and international achievements.

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