ISTANBUL

US deliveries of Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv could lead to a "serious escalation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in response to a question Tuesday, according to Russian state-run Tass news agency.

"It's important to understand that we're talking about missiles, and, putting aside the various nuances, we're talking about missiles that could also be nuclear-capable, so this is truly a serious round of escalation.”

He noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin outlined Moscow's reaction in the event of the delivery of American Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kyiv.

"As for Moscow's position, it was stated quite clearly by President Putin at a recent meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club. Everything was stated there clearly. This would be a serious escalation, but it would not be able to change the situation on both fronts for the Kyiv regime," he noted.

Peskov said Russia assumes that US President Donald Trump "maintains the political will to facilitate the transition of the Ukrainian settlement to the channel of peaceful political negotiations."

He also reported that dialogue between Russia and the US through diplomatic agencies is still in a “suppressed state.”

"Diplomats are doing their job. They do it diligently, they work hard, although dialogue between diplomatic agencies remains subdued. At the level of heads of state, the situation is slightly different; it's more vibrant," he said.