The United States will cross a "red line" if it provides Ukraine with missiles of longer range than it has to date and become a party to the conflict, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Sakharova says.
"If Washington takes a decision on delivering missiles of greater range to Kyiv, it will cross a red line," Sakharova said. "In a case like that, we will be forced to react correspondingly," she added, making reference to defence by "all possible means."
Moscow has placed its nuclear forces on higher alert and warned repeatedly of the current conflict expanding into a World War III, while Ukraine has called for missiles with a range of 300 kilometres, noting that it could use them to strike a recently built bridge linking the Crimean Peninsula to Russia over the Kerch Strait.
Sakharova said the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine was dragging out the conflict and causing civilian casualties. "In particular, it is leading up to the line of a direct military clash between Russia and NATO states," she said, accusing NATO of effective participation in war crimes.
