Involvement In Ukraine's Conflict Rises, Russia Considers Decreased Diplomatic Relations With The West

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. (Wikimedia Commons/Presidential Executive Office of Russia)

JAKARTA - Russia is considering a possible decline in diplomatic relations with the West, as it increases the involvement of the United States and its allies in the Ukrainian conflict, the Kremlin said on Thursday.

"The issue of the decline in the level of diplomatic relations is standard practice for countries facing hostile or hostile manifestations," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about the possibility of the move.

"Due to the increasing West's involvement in the conflict over Ukraine, the Russian Federation cannot consider various options to respond to such hostile Western interventions in the Ukraine crisis," he continued.

However, Peskov said no decision had yet been made on the matter, with Moscow considering various ways to respond to the West.

Peskov's comments followed a statement by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov who said Russia had not ruled out a possible decline in diplomatic relations with hostile countries.

"Our country's foreign policy is determined by the President of the Russian Federation, the head of state, and implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," Peskov said, quoted by TASS.

Peskov added, "at a time when Western countries openly stated their main goal was to achieve Russia's strategic defeat on the battlefield, of course, this could not not have caused a response from Moscow."