Russia pledges to hit US, NATO arms shipments in Ukraine

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Wednesday the US and NATO arms shipments in Ukraine will be seen as rightful targets by the Russian military.

Speaking in an interview with Russia's state-run TASS news agency, Ryabkov promised to thwart the Western military help to Ukraine that aim to delay Russia's "special military operation."

"We bring the Americans and other Westerners to the understanding that attempts to slow down our special operation, inflict maximum damage to Russian contingents and formations of the DPR and LPR (Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics) will be severely suppressed.

"We warn that the US-NATO arms shipments on the Ukrainian territory will be considered by us as legitimate military targets," he said.

Ryabkov also said the US sanctions Russia in detriment to its own companies, trying to push Russia to declare a default.

The diplomat noted that the US sacrifices the common sense to the momentary political goals, and that the resilience of the Russian economy to the sanctions "drives the White House crazy."

"Common sense and economic benefits are sacrificed to momentary political goals. The impression is that the resilience, demonstrated by our economy, the effectiveness of measures to stabilize the ruble exchange rate against the background of inflation in the US itself, not to mention the rise in prices and the shortage of basic goods in European satellite countries, simply drive the White House crazy," Ryabkov said.

According to Ryabkov, sanctions stimulate the revival of the Russian industry and provide its agriculture with favorable conditions for further growth.

"Our development can, of course, be complicated, but Washington cannot stop it," he said.

Ryabkov did not exclude the expulsion of the Russian diplomats from the US, calling this measure "the US favorite tool of punishment."

"But we are also ready for such a development of events as the American side itself has put bilateral relations on the verge of complete collapse," he noted.

Ryabkov said the US refused further dialogue on the strategic stability because of the events in Ukraine, and Russia took it into consideration but remains open to searching for constructive solutions to the complex settlement of existing problems based on the principle of indivisibility of security.

The deputy foreign minister denied any full-scale contact with the US administration on the situation around Ukraine and said that at this moment it seems pointless.

He also pledged to continue an investigation regarding the US military biological activities abroad, adding that Russia wants to invite US Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland to a meeting of the UN Security Council to clarify some points.