Russia sees security threat if U.S. gives Kiev lethal arms

French President Francois Hollande (R) welcomes Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel as she arrives at the Elysee Palace before the solidarity march (Rassemblement Republicain) in the streets of Paris January 11, 2015. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Moscow would see any decision by the United States to give Ukraine lethal weapons as a threat to Russia's security, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Thursday.

Lukashevich was responding to calls in Washington and Kiev for the U.S. government to arm Ukrainian government forces fighting Russian-backed separatists in east Ukraine, though Washington says it still prefers a diplomatic solution.