MOSCOW, March 13. /TASS/. Recent statements made by United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nikki Haley on a possible strike against Syria raises indignation and extreme concern, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Such belligerent and irresponsible statements of the American representative raise indignation and extreme concern," the statement said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that it was a blatant hypocrisy on behalf of Washington to make statements in favor of the political process in Syria, while the US forces are occupying a significant part of Syria in violation of the UN Charter and the international law.

"In fact, Washington is doing its utmost to cover up and preserve terrorist groupings, which are active near Damascus and in other provinces of Syria," the statement said. "At the same time, the real situation in the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta, which terrorists use to systematically shell the residential areas of the Syrian capital, is distorted."

The ministry stated that the attempts of the United States and its allies to misinterpret the UN Resolution on Eastern Ghouta, which excludes terrorist groupings from the ceasefire, are absolutely unacceptable.

According to the statement, "…growing concern is caused by the incoming information on militants’ preparations to imitate the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government troops against civilians as the basis to justify US unilateral strikes against Damascus and government facilities in Syria."

"Such criminal actions may also create a threat to the lives of Russian military advisers, including representatives of the Centre for the Reconciliation of the Warring Sides, who are staying at establishments in Damascus and at facilities of the Syrian Defense Ministry," Russia’s Foreign Ministry said.

"In this case, required retaliatory measures will be taken," the ministry added.