MOSCOW

Moscow is using its "entire diplomatic arsenal" to oppose Western arms deliveries to Ukraine, a senior Russian diplomat said on Thursday.

NATO countries are becoming more and more directly involved in the conflict, expanding their help to Kyiv, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with broadcaster Rossiya 24.

Noting that the kind of arms supplied to Ukraine by the West had changed in favor of more heavy and long-range weapons, Ryabkov said that they "present the case in such a way as if there is some kind of self-restraint in this regard (in arms deliveries). We don't see anything like that."

"The entire diplomatic arsenal -- demarches, protests, notes, appeals at specialized sites, diplomatic clashes in Vienna, in New York, where there are opportunities to convey our signals, to warn our opponents -- all these opportunities are being used by us to the full," Ryabkov said.

Commenting on the 2023 US military budget, Ryabkov said funds allocated to anti-Russian activities, including Moscow's expulsion from the G-20, would not impact its "determination, firmness in defending our own interests, in protecting our security."

"What the activities of the Group of Twenty (G-20) have to do with the US military budget is clear only to those who hang these additional trinkets on the military budget. No one can exclude Russia from the Group of Twenty," he asserted.

Ryabkov said additional expenses in the US military budget was tied to the "insatiability" of the country's defense sector, with the conflict in Ukraine only fueling its "appetite."

"In general, Americans are making good money from the current crisis in a variety of areas -- in the field of energy supplies at inflated prices, and in the field of the so-called replenishment of the allies' depleted stocks of weapons, which are being sent to Ukraine," he said.

The deputy foreign minister said Washington's actions were aimed at escalating the conflict in Ukraine, accusing the US of disrupting peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv.

"The attempt to present the American position as uninvolved, as having no direct relation to what is happening (in Ukraine) is an obvious mockery of common sense, it is disinformation of the international community. I think there are few observers left in the world, those who follow this, who trust such signals from Washington," he said.

Ryabkov said he did not expect Washington to cut back expense as "the whole world finances the US government budget deficit through the purchase of American bonds."

As for US plans to further develop its nuclear arms, Ryabkov said Russia's forces of nuclear strategic containment were at a "high level" as well.

In such a tense situation, dialogue on security guarantees would be "naive," he noted, adding that Russia would return to the matter when Westerner countries "mature to something more sensible."

He also confirmed that Russia's moratorium on the non-deployment of intermediate- and shorter-range missile was still in force, but would be lifted if the US deploys missiles in Europe.