DHAKA: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet Sunday evening in Paris to discuss the crisis in Ukraine, according to the State Department.

Kerry and Lavrov are expected to discuss efforts to diffuse tensions surrounding the situation in Ukraine and the buildup of Russian troops along Russia`s border with Ukraine.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki confirmed the scheduled meeting.

Meanwhile, boxer-turned-politician Vitali Klitschko on Saturday pulled out of the race for Ukraine`s president, saying he wants to become mayor of Kiev.

His announcement came as Russia reiterated it had no intention of sending troops into Ukraine -- responding to Western warnings over a military buildup on the border following Moscow`s annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

"We have absolutely no intention or interest to cross the border of Ukraine," Lavrov said in an interview Saturday with Russian state television.

Kiev and Western officials have voiced alarm about Russia`s reported military buildup on Ukraine`s eastern border.

Russia may have 40,000 troops near its border with eastern Ukraine and another 25,000 at locations inland who are on alert and prepared to go in, two U.S. officials told CNN`s Barbara Starr. The officials said that this estimate was largely based on satellite imagery and that a firm number is difficult to assess.

A spokesman for Ukraine`s Council of National Security and Defense, Yarema Dukh, told CNN the government estimates 88,000 Russian troops are at the border.

Russia has said its troops are carrying out snap military exercises in the region.

BDST:  1107 HRS, MAR 30, 2014