MOSCOW/ROME/MINSK - NATO's aggressive plans towards Russia may accelerate the timeline for Moscow's development and potential deployment of medium- and short-range missiles, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Wednesday.

Ryabkov noted that relevant research work and preparation for developing such missile systems had been announced years ago, but NATO's "increasingly aggressive manifestations" towards Russia may cause the country to intensify its work.

Earlier this week, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called for lifting the restrictions on Ukraine using weapons supplied by NATO members to attack Russian territories.

It is not in our plan that the (military) materials we provide to Ukraine could be across the border with Russia ... We are not going to send troops on the ground in Ukraine.

Antonio Tajani, Italian Foreign Minister

In response to Stoltenberg's statements, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that NATO is directly involved in the Ukraine conflict, adding that the alliance is increasing the degree of escalation. 

Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Western allies have helped Ukraine with military supplies, but requesting Kyiv to refrain from using them to hit targets inside Russian territory.

In recent months, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly urged allies to uplift this restriction so that the country would be in a better position to better prevent and repel Russia's attacks.

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Russia has strongly warned NATO countries against this option, saying it would be seen as a serious escalation of the level of confrontation. 

'Not send troops'

Also on Wednesday, both Italy and Hungary said they would not send troops to Ukraine.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani ruled out Italian weapons delivered to Ukraine to defend itself could be used to strike on Russian territory, local media reported.

"It is not in our plan that the (military) materials we provide to Ukraine could be across the border with Russia," ANSA News Agency cited Tajani as saying while speaking on the sidelines of a nautical industry's event in Venice.

"We are not going to send troops on the ground in Ukraine," the minister added. 

Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said that the Russia-Ukraine conflict cannot be resolved by military means, and he was shocked by the remarks of European politicians "aimed at escalating the conflict"

A similar position had been expressed by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni earlier this week.

Meanwhile, Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto, who is visiting Belarus, said in Minsk that Hungary will not send troops to Ukraine and he is "horrified" by the idea of sending troops to Ukraine within the EU.

Szijjarto made the above statement when meeting with Belarusian Foreign Minister Aleinik. Szijjarto said that the Russia-Ukraine conflict cannot be resolved by military means, and he was shocked by the remarks of European politicians "aimed at escalating the conflict".

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"No Hungarian soldier will enter Ukraine." He called on the conflicting parties to cease fire and negotiate.

Szijjarto told the media that more than 80 percent of Hungary's oil comes from the "Friendship" pipeline, which is a pipeline of crude oil from Russia to Europe. The pipeline also passes through Belarus, and there is no other similar pipeline to replace it.