Russia considering downgrading relations with the West, the Kremlin says

FILE PHOTO: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting of Russia's President Vladimir Putin with Laos' President Thongloun Sisoulith in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2024. Sputnik/Alexei Maishev/Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Thursday that Russia is considering a possible downgrading of diplomatic relations with the West due to the deeper involvement of the United States and its allies in the Ukraine war, though no decision has yet been made.

"The issue of lowering the level of diplomatic relations is a standard practice for states that face unfriendly or hostile manifestations," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about the possibility of such a move.

"Due to the growing involvement of the West in the conflict over Ukraine, the Russian Federation cannot but consider various options for responding to such hostile Western intervention in the Ukrainian crisis."

Peskov said that no decision had yet been made on the matter and that Russia was considering different ways to respond to the West.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Maxim Rodionov/Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Andrew Osborn)