MOSCOW, July 3. /TASS/. The Pentagon's statement condoning the use of US weapons for strikes on Crimea essentially gives Kiev a free pass to commit acts of violence, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told reporters on the margins of the BRICS Civil Forum.

"This is a reflection of their policy of encouraging Kiev, giving it a free pass for any crimes, any provocations, which are fraught with the most grave consequences in terms of the growing threats of a wider conflict," the diplomat said.

"The Pentagon has always positioned itself as a responsible agency, and this responsibility has now degenerated into this agency pushing the political leadership of its country towards taking actions that are difficult to predict in terms of what may follow," the diplomat added.

Moscow hosts the BRICS Civil Forum on July 3-4. It is attended by more than 200 delegates from the member countries of the group and other states of the global South.

TASS is the general information partner of the forum.