MOSCOW - Russia will respond harshly if Japanese authorities start supplying lethal weapons and military equipment to Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
"All of this further sets back the prospects of a settlement in Ukraine," ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a weekly briefing.
"In this regard, we would like to warn once again that any attempts by the Japanese leadership to supply lethal weapons and military equipment to the Kyiv regime will be regarded by Russia as hostile actions against our country," Zakharova said, adding that such moves will inevitably trigger harsh retaliatory measures.
READ MORE: Russia warns Japan against remilitarization, urges adherence to pacifist principles
91 Ukrainian drones downed
Russia's air defense systems shot down 91 Ukrainian drones across 9 regions in seven hours on Wednesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense said.
The ministry said that Russia's on-duty air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 91 Ukrainian drones from 1 pm to 8 pm. Moscow time on Wednesday.
The drones were shot down across Belgorod, Bryansk, Vladimir, Kaluga, Kursk, Leningrad, Smolensk, Tula and Moscow regions, it said.
Russia-US contact
Russia continues to maintain contact with the United States and hopes Washington will play a role in resolving the Ukraine issue, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
"We welcome the continued efforts by the American side to create the necessary conditions for reaching a settlement on the Ukraine issue," Peskov said at a daily press briefing.
Peskov further said that each round of contact may represent a step toward finding a solution, which he emphasized must take full account of Russia's interests.
He reiterated Russia's hope that the US will keep playing a role in resolving the Ukraine issue and that Russia stays open to negotiations on the matter.
READ MORE: Kremlin says Russia-Japan ties ‘reduced to zero’ amid lack of dialogue
Since the start of this year, Russia, the US, and Ukraine have held three rounds of trilateral talks on the Ukraine issue, with the most recent round held in Geneva, Switzerland, from Feb 17-18.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense said on the same day that Russian air defense systems have destroyed 543 drones employed by the Ukrainian armed forces on the front line in the past day.
Ukrainian drones struck an energy facility and a vessel in Russia's Leningrad region overnight, Ukraine's military said Wednesday.
