The US is “engaging in Russophobic rhetoric and Russophobic actions’ which may eventually lead to a military encounter between the two countries, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a broadcast of Channel One Russia.

According to the minister, the “intensity of emotions” goes beyond what is considered “diplomatic decency”, and “confrontation and tension are on the rise”.

“The US initiated NATO’s movement to our borders, not merely by adopting Russia’s neighbors as new alliance member-states, but by deploying military infrastructure on our borders,” Lavrov commented.

“The US, UK, Canada, Germany and France are deploying their battalions and battalion tactical groups in the Baltics and in the territory of other countries which border directly with the former Soviet Union”, while “ammunition, arms” and American instructors are being sent to Ukraine, the minister said. He added that such US specialists also worked in Georgia during the 2008 war.

“Such incremental actions even increase the risk of a military confrontation,” said Lavrov, “This would be absolutely unacceptable for Russia, and the American partners have been warned repeatedly.”

According to him, the desire to “vent righteous anger” on the US is an “understandable” reaction for “normal” Russians. Nevertheless, Russia will refrain from “severe reactions”.

“Andrei Gromyko, the great Soviet minister of foreign affairs, once said that ten years of negotiations are better than one day of war. And he was right. I, for one, think so,” Lavrov remarked.

A separate problem altogether is the US dollar, which is used as a pressure lever when Washington “wants to punish someone”, the minister observed.

“Washington manipulates the dollar as it pleases. It immediately stops servicing any banking operations in dollars, not only for the country it wants to punish, but for anyone who has some kind of relations with it,” the foreign minister complained.

  Russia, USA, Lavrov

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