My request and message to the current US administration is very clear: if they take provocative action, we will respond. We will find a way to defend our strong will and interests although I am not threatening anyone," Ryabkov said during an interview with an American TV news network on Wednesday.

He continued by saying that in the West, especially in the United States, politicians underestimate Russia's determination to defend its core national security interests and warned that this could encourage Moscow to use more powerful military capabilities in the future.

"The moment will come when we will have no choice but to resort to more powerful military means," Ryabkov said.

The remarks followed a recent announcement by the United States and its NATO allies that they might allow Ukraine to use long-range precision weapons after which American and British-supplied missiles targeted Russian military positions in the Kursk and Bryansk regions.

In response, Russia for the first time used the latest non-nuclear intermediate-range ballistic missiles "Oreshnik" to hit the Ukrainian defense industry facility - the Yuzhmash plant in Dnipro.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently stressed that the provocative policies of the West could lead to dire consequences if the conflict escalates further.