The Head of the Russian Delegation to the Negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control in Vienna, Konstantin Gavrilov, told the Rossiya-24 TV channel Thursday that Russia will respond immediately in the event that it is attacked with long-range weapon systems.

"We particularly put the spotlight on the delivery [to Ukraine] of long-range howitzers and HIMARS MLRS that threaten not only Donbass but Russia as well. We have clearly laid out Russia’s stance: if the Russian Federation is attacked with these long-range systems, the response against the decision-making centers will be immediate," he said, adding, "I think, this is happening not without the involvement of Ukraine’s military and political leadership. I am not ruling out anything anymore," Gavrilov stressed.

According to the diplomat, the Kiev regime had promised that Ukraine won’t use the HIMARS system to strike Russia, but these promises are "not worth a red cent."

Last week, the Pentagon has decided to provide High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) to Ukraine due to the nature of the conflict changing to an "artillery duel".

A senior administration official told reporters that the US would send M142 HIMARS, which have a range of approximately 77 km. He added that the missiles are part of a weapons package for Ukraine valued at $700 million.

As Washington insisted, Kiev assured that the US rocket systems would not be used against Russian territory targets.

However, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova asserted that these assurances were worthless and could not be trusted.