Last warning: If they don't hear us, we'll switch to "Oreshnik"

"For our part, we are open to an honest dialogue based on mutual respect and appreciation of interests, whether the new American administration will take advantage of this chance is a big question," said Ryabkov, in an interview for Komsomol Pravda.

Answering the question whether there are political forces in the United States of America that are interested in cooperation with Russia, he stated that there are practically no "friends of Moscow" among the American political class, whose representatives see the Russian Federation as an existential threat.

"In conditions where anti-Russian hysteria has become widespread in the United States, anyone who sympathizes with the Russians immediately finds himself marginalized.

Donald Trump himself and his entourage are sending mixed signals in attacking the current administration, adhering to the principles of 'America first' and 'peace through strength', which do not fit into our national interests," Ryabkov pointed out. 

He pointed out that neglecting the other party's security interests can be a "two-way street", and the West's attempts to harm Russia "push us to look for security vulnerabilities among our enemies".

Russia could respond with both reciprocal and asymmetric measures if Western countries do not heed its warnings, Ryabkov said.

"We have long since moved away from drawing some speculative red lines. After a series of aggressive actions by the West, we have switched to a different mode, by sending adversaries strict warnings about the concrete consequences of their steps that pose a threat to us. If they do not hear us, we switch to practical measures reaction," warned Ryabkov.

As he stated, among the current warning signals is the test launch of the newest medium-range hypersonic weapon system "Oreshnik" at one of the legitimate military targets in Ukraine.

"At the same time, this step is not only an indication of a possible form of reaction to the acutely escalating actions of the United States and NATO in the context of the Ukrainian crisis, but also a demonstration of Russia's potential response to the deployment of American medium- and short-range missiles in various regions of the world," Ryabkov concluded.