A senior Russian official warned on March 12 that Moscow could target Western shipments of military equipment to Ukraine.

Speaking on state television, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Moscow has warned the United States that it would see the deliveries of Western weapons to Ukraine as targets.

Ryabkov said Russia “warned the U.S. that pumping weapons from a number of countries it orchestrates isn’t just a dangerous move, it’s an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets.”

He also denounced the U.S. sanctions against Moscow over the country’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine as an “unprecedented attempt to deal a serious blow to various sectors of the Russian economy.”

Moscow has been hit by a barrage of international sanctions over its war on Ukraine.

Ryabkov said that Russia has no intention to expel Western media and businesses amid the soaring tensions with the West, adding that ”we aren’t going to escalate the situation.”

Based on reporting by AP and AFP