Moscow has said it will do "everything to prevent bloodshed" in Ukraine, despite reports of confrontations between forces loyal to Kiev and pro-Russian armed groups.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov struck the conciliatory tone before he was due to meet face-to-face with US Secretary of State John Kerry for the first time since the stalemate began.
Speaking at a news briefing with his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo in Madrid, he said it was important for Russia to continue talks with Nato and EU leaders.
Mr Lavrov also said Moscow would like to see a de-escalation in tensions, sparked by Russian intervention in Ukraine's Crimea region.
But he added that "nobody has the right to be angry with Russia".
Sky's Andrew Wilson, in Perevalnoe, Ukraine, said Mr Lavrov is an "experienced, old hand at this" and "is mapping out a slightly clearer position than we've seen from Mr Putin."
Mr Lavrov answers journalists' questions in Madrid British Foreign Secretary William Hague said there would be "costs and consequences" for Russia if it did not ease the crisis in Ukraine.
Earlier, the EU said it could vote on Russian sanctions on Thursday if there is no de-escalation in the stand-off before then.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously said any Western sanctions against Moscow would be counter-productive.
US Secretary of State John Kerry in Kiev with Ukraine's leaders America has already threatened sanctions, with a senior US official saying Washington is ready to impose them in days rather than weeks.
Mr Kerry and Mr Lavrov are due to meet in Paris this afternoon to discuss the ongoing tensions.
US President Barack Obama spoke to German Chancellor Angela Merkel about a plan to end the stalemate.
Troops in Belbek relax after a stand-off with the Russian military Under the proposal, Russia would pull back its forces in Crimea to their bases in the peninsula and limit troop numbers to a Ukraine-agreed maximum of 11,000.
However, Mr Lavrov said that pro-Russian armed groups operating in Crimea were "self-defence" forces who do not answer to Moscow.
He added that Russian naval personnel in the region were in their normal positions.
A senior American official has said the plan would also see international monitors allowed in to ensure the human rights of ethnic Russians are protected.
People watch the latest news on a TV screen at Independence square, Kiev Fifteen countries from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) have reportedly already agreed to send observers.
Seen as an effort to offer Russian President Vladimir Putin a way out of the crisis without losing face, the plan would pave the way for direct talks between Moscow and the new Ukraine government with the potential for some international mediation.
The proposal would also see planned elections in Ukraine this May go ahead.
But Mr Obama sounded a cautious note when commenting on the crisis at a fundraiser on Tuesday night.
John Kerry boards his plane as he prepares to leave Kiev "We may be able to de-escalate over the next several days and weeks," he said. "It's a serious situation and we are spending a lot of time on it."
The US official added that Mr Obama had made clear to Ms Merkel that he would not attend a G8 summit scheduled for June in Sochi, Russia, if the situation in Ukraine had not changed.
Preparatory meetings about the summit have already been suspended.
Mr Putin has previously denied that Russian armed forces were directly engaged in the bloodless seizure of Crimea.
But he said he had the right to send in military forces to protect Russian nationals who feel threatened by the new Ukrainian government after pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted.
Mr Obama dismissed the Russian leader's claims, saying: "President Putin seems to have a different set of lawyers making a different set of interpretations, but I don't think that's fooling anybody."
:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.
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