MOSCOW, June 19. /TASS/. Moscow does not rule out that the level of diplomatic relations with Washington can be lowered in response to the seizure of Russian assets, Deputy Foreign Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with TASS.

"[The reaction to US actions] may include retaliatory measures against some Western assets that we have, may include asymmetry of another kind, and lowering the level of diplomatic relations is also in the arsenal of means. There can be a set of steps or it can be one thing. Once again: depending on the intensity of the poison in their actions, we will calibrate our response measures," the senior diplomat said.

Ryabkov stressed that "depending on the degree of challenge that they [the US] continue to pose," the Russian Federation will decide how to respond to this.

"I do not rule out any options, but I do not anticipate any options. In any case, all this is the subject of a separate political decision, and this decision will be made at the appropriate very high level in Moscow," Ryabkov said.