MOSCOW

Russia urged the US State Department on Wednesday to address the issue of the proliferation of arms supplied to Ukraine, which Moscow claims immediately finds its way into the black market.​​​​​​​

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova questioned at a press conference in Moscow whether the US is aware of the fate of the weapons transferred to Ukraine.

"The State Department should be asked whether the US is aware of the proliferation of weapons, which they supply, as they call it 'help' to the Kyiv regime, which immediately goes to the black market. Do they have any data on this, can they comment on it, do they bear or feel any responsibility for it?" she asked.

She described plans to supply US F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine as "the next stage of escalation and destabilization of the situation on the European continent."

The EU is following the lead of the US, not realizing how such "experiments" may end, she added.

In response to Armenia's criticism of Russia's mediation role in the Karabakh settlement and the activities of Russian peacekeepers in the region, the spokeswoman said Moscow uses all available tools for de-escalation.

She pointed out that contacts are being made at various levels, including those of foreign ministers, and that they will continue.

Zakharova also assessed as "highly effective" the role of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

"Each country has its own rights, opportunities to assess (events), we assess it (Russia's efforts) in this way," she stressed.

Regarding Moldova, the spokeswoman criticized the approach of the country's authorities for forcing citizens to choose between Russia and the EU.

The diplomat stressed that Moldova would benefit from developing relations with both Moscow and Brussels, rather than being at odds with either.

Zakharova reminded that the Moldovan authorities promised "European values" to its citizens, but now those values are "the lack of freedom of speech, the inability to exercise their democratic rights, the suppression of dissent, the dictate of liberal ideology," and thus they “fulfilled their promise.”

"We recommend that the European integrators in Chisinau stop justifying their own failures with some kind of 'Russian propaganda,' some kind of 'hybrid war' on the part of Russia, ... do not do it all, it's just disrespect for the people of Moldova," she said.

Zakharova called "a national humiliation" the decision by the Moldovan president to rename Moldovan into Romanian.

Zakharova dubbed the decision by Moldova's president to rename Moldovan to Romanian a "national humiliation."

She also emphasized that Moscow does not interfere in the affairs of other states, including Moldova.

"We are sure that it is in the interests of Moldova and its citizens to normalize ties with our country and preserve the existing advantages of participating in the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States)," she said.

She also called on Moldovan leadership to "take into account the entire spectrum of the country's inhabitants, to avoid actions leading to political polarization (and), artificial destabilization of life in the republic."