Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday urged Russia's neighbors not to escalate tensions amid the Ukraine crisis, calling for a normalization of relations. 

"There are no bad intentions towards our neighbors," Putin said in televised remarks. "And I would also advise them not to escalate the situation, not to introduce any restrictions. We fulfil all our obligations and will continue to fulfill them." 

Putin was shown on TV taking part online, from his residence outside Moscow, in a flag-raising ceremony for a ferry in northern Russia. 

"We do not see any need here to aggravate or worsen our relations. And all our actions, if they arise, they always arise exclusively in response to some unfriendly actions, actions against the Russian Federation," he said. 

"I believe everyone should consider ways to normalize our relations and cooperation," he said. 

Putin announced a "special military operation" in the Donbas region on February 24, but Ukraine confirmed that targets across the country were under attack. Putin said the operation aimed for "demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine."

The United States and its European allies have imposed a series of sanctions on Russia. 

Russia's State Duma introduced criminal liability for calls for sanctions against Russia on Friday, according to TASS news agency. 

The Russian Criminal Code will now be updated by a new article "Calls for the introduction of restrictive measures against the Russian Federation, citizens of the Russian Federation or Russian legal entities." Such deeds will be punishable with a fine, or by deprivation of liberty, obligatory labor, arrest or imprisonment. 

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday that he believes that the West is interested in a prolonged war in Ukraine in order to drown Russia and Belarus in the turmoil, TASS reported. 

Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), said on Wednesday that the top priority is to "ease the situation on the ground as much as possible, and prevent the situation from escalating or even getting out of control." 

China welcomes negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to resolve the crisis, and calls on the international community to "foster an enabling atmosphere and conditions for direct dialogues and negotiations between the parties concerned," Zhang said at an emergency special session of the UN General Assembly.