MOSCOW, May 19. /TASS/. Strategic risks of a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia are growing, which may have catastrophic consequences, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told TASS in an interview.

The senior Russian diplomat highlighted "the escalatory narrative" from European capitals about "the looming threat of a high-intensity war" with Russia. "As a result of this escalation of tensions, including blatantly provocative moves in the nuclear sphere, strategic risks are increasing, as is the danger of a head-on clash between NATO and our country, with potentially catastrophic consequences as a result," he warned.

Commenting on Finland’s intention to host nuclear weapons and France and Poland’s plans to hold a deterrence exercise over the Baltic Sea, simulating nuclear strikes on Russian targets, Ryabkov noted that "Russia has unequivocally expressed its strong criticism of such preparations by the Europeans." "Such steps are being accompanied by hostile anti-Russian rhetoric and are an element of the broader process of Europe’s accelerated militarization, directly targeting this country," he added.