The chairman of the Russian parliament's lower house or Duma, Sergei Naryshkin, said on Wednesday that the decision by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to provide Ukraine with weapons is a criminal act.
"The cynical and irresponsible policy of the United States and those countries that are on its leash is pushing the world to the verge of a new cold war," said Naryshkin.
Earlier on Sunday, Ukraine's Defense Minister Valery Heletey said NATO was providing his county with weapons in a bid to equip the country to fight pro-Russian activists and "stop" Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kiev and its Western allies accuse Moscow of sending troops into eastern Ukraine in support of pro-Russia activists battling Ukrainian forces. Russia, however, denies the accusation.
Russia’s parliament speaker, however, said the United States and its allies in NATO are behind the chaos in the country, which unfolded six months ago.
He added that NATO's promises will constitute a direct intervention and complicity in the crimes being committed in Ukraine.
He warned that the European people are waking up to “mindless fulfillment” of US orders which devalue their national sovereignty and cause economic losses.
His remarks came in the wake of NATO's plans to hold military exercises in Ukraine.
According to European Command (EUCOM) spokesman Gregory Hicks, about 1,300 troops from 15 countries, are participating in the maneuvers. The drills started early Monday near the country’s border with Poland.