Russia has warned that it will react robustly to Western moves to seize its assets or deploy missiles.
Moscow could sever diplomatic relations with the United States should it confiscate Russian assets frozen under sanctions, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Friday. Officials also said the Kremlin would respond to the deployment of missiles in Europe or Asia, even as Ukraine reported that Russia had unleashed another barrage of attack drones overnight.
Ryabkov threatened that Moscow could cut diplomatic ties with Washington should it hand frozen Russian assets to Kyiv, which is desperate for funds, according to the Russian state news agency Interfax.
Western countries are discussing the confiscation of more than $1bn in Russian assets frozen due to sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later said at a media briefing that countries who seize Russian assets would never be left in peace and Russia would look at what Western assets it could seize in retaliation.
