Russia and the US are in a “hot phase” of war because Washington provides weapons to Ukraine, the Russian foreign minister said Wednesday.

"We are really in the hot phase of the war. Because the Ukrainian Nazis are fighting mostly with American weapons…the American administration threatens to supply more and more long-range and deadly systems," Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Rossiya 24 TV.


Asked why Russian President Vladimir Putin received credentials from the new US ambassador if Moscow considers itself at war with Ukraine, Lavrov said: "It is necessary to maintain relations nevertheless."

"At least, we do not lose hope that the Americans will wake up and they will resume some kind of dialogue. We'll see. It won't be long to wait," he said.

On Wednesday, the new US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy presented her credentials to Putin at a ceremony in the Kremlin.