MOSCOW, January 13. /TASS/. Russia may assign its Navy to take certain measures to confront any future US provocations or continued US military pressure, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Thursday in an interview to RTVI.
When asked if Russia considers deploying its military in such countries as Venezuela or Cuba, Ryabkov said that, "I don’t want to confirm anything, but I won’t rule anything out either."
"It’s the American style to have several options for its foreign and military policy," he said. "That’s the cornerstone of that country’s powerful influence in the world."
Russia will act depending on what the US will do, the deputy minister said.
"The president of Russia has spoken multiple times on the subject of what the measures could be, for example involving the Russian Navy, if things are firmly set on the course of provoking Russia and further increasing the military pressure on us by the US," Ryabkov said. "We don’t want that. The diplomats must come to an agreement."
Russia has taken note of some US proposals to prevent conflicts that were voiced in Geneva, he said. Russia, among other things, wants to update the 1972 agreement on averting incidents on and over the high seas, the diplomat said.
Still, the prospect of NATO expansion - which Moscow seeks to avert - remains the main issue for the talks, he said.