Moscow, Feb 19 (IANS): Russia on Sunday charged the US with being the "main instigator of existing global tensions" in wake of a senior US State Department official supporting Ukrainian attacks on Crimea.

Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said that US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland's statement that Russian military establishments in Crimea "are legitimate targets" for Ukraine, and that Washington supports Kiev's attacks on them "once again emphasise the depth of differences between us".

They highlight "the role of the United States as the main instigator of existing global tensions," Peskov said in an interview with the Rossiya-1 TV channel, RT reported.

He went on describe Nuland as part of "a very large group of the most aggressive hawks in American politics".

On Friday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned Nuland's statement on Crimea as "staggering" and "absurd", calling it proof of "the US involvement in the Ukraine conflict".