The head of Russian diplomacy, Sergey Lavrov, warned today that if NATO or any of the members of the Alliance act aggressively towards Moscow, Russia will respond adequately.

– Our opponents should not be fooled. In the event of aggressive actions by NATO or certain member states against our country, appropriate retaliatory measures will be taken in accordance with the UN Charter, which guarantees Russia's sovereign right to self-defense and the use of all means to ensure its security. And no one will be able to hide either across the Atlantic Ocean or across the English Channel, Lavrov said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

He added that "NATO has not been hiding its aggressive policy towards Russia for a long time."

Lavrov recalled that the strategies of the Alliance describe Moscow as "the most significant and direct threat to security", and the leadership of NATO constantly warns about the alleged plans of Russia to attack a country that is part of the Alliance in the coming years.

- At the same time, the North Atlantic military alliance is rapidly militarizing Europe, and the bloc's forces are rehearsing offensive operations against Moscow, Lavrov pointed out.

He emphasized that if Kiev starts using Western long-range weapons for attacks on Russian territory, "it will mean that not only Ukraine, but also NATO countries are openly at war with Russia."

- The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, spoke on this topic. It should be clear to everyone that the Ukrainians cannot independently use Western high-tech long-range weapons without intelligence satellite data from NATO countries, Lavrov said.

In the interview, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs also referred to the presidential elections in the United States.

- There is no need to take seriously what the two candidates are saying in the heat of the pre-election controversy... Our position, formulated by the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, is well known. We are ready for an equal dialogue if and when the American side shows serious intentions to negotiate fairly, based on the recognition of Russian national interests and the principle of reciprocity, Lavrov noted.