Russian deputy foreign minister calls US 'party to conflict' in Ukraine

MOSCOW

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov on Wednesday called the US "a party to the conflict in Ukraine."

Speaking to reporters in Russia's upper chamber of parliament, the Federation Council, in Moscow, Ryabkov said that leaked US and NATO documents on Ukraine may be "fake to deliberately mislead Russia."

"Taking into account that the US is a party to the conflict, and, in fact, is waging a hybrid war against us, they may use such ploys to mislead an opponent, notably the Russian Federation," he said.

“To what extent this current noise, both publications and everything else, has real grounds, it is an open question for me personally,” he noted.

The Pentagon said Friday it was investigating the unauthorized disclosure of the documents, which carry US Joint Chiefs of Staff seals and allegedly belong to the US and NATO. They were shared on social media, including Twitter and Telegram.

The Justice Department separately opened a criminal investigation into the leak.

The Biden administration has repeatedly declined to weigh in on their authenticity but they include information about the course of the war in Ukraine, humanitarian aid provided by different countries, and calendars for aid being delivered to Kyiv's forces.

Commenting on the call "to counter" Russian media by James Rubin, a coordinator for the US State Department's Global Engagement Center, Ryabkov said the US demonstrates a position "contrary to freedom of speech and human rights."

Turning to the test-launch of the intercontinental ballistic missile, announced by the Defense Ministry, Ryabkov said Russia notified the US about it as stipulated by the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

The diplomat also said that Moscow is in touch with Washington regarding the arrest of US reporter Evan Gershkovich, accused of espionage. The issue of providing consular access to him is being considered, he added.

In a separate statement at the Federation Council’s plenary session, Ryabkov said the US has set a course to increase military biological activities in almost all regions of the world.

He called what Washington claims to be "research facilities" in Ukraine a "blatant example" of how Washington "neglects its own international obligations."

Ryabkov said Russia has proposed the establishment of an inspection mechanism under the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), and the majority of the convention signatories have supported the idea.

The diplomat said the US military biological activities in Ukraine may be discussed at a session of the UN Security Council in the near future.

The official said that Russia drafted a resolution on the establishment of an international commission to investigate the work of US biological laboratories in Ukraine.

"We will seek a settlement of the current situation," he said.