MOSCOW, May 19 (Reuters) - A senior Russian diplomat warned on Tuesday that the risks of a direct clash between Russia and the NATO military alliance are increasing, and that the consequences could be catastrophic.

In an interview with the TASS state news agency, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said there was a growing narrative in European capitals about the “looming threat of a high-intensity war” with Russia.

“As a result of this escalation of tensions, including blatantly provocative actions in the nuclear sphere, strategic risks are mounting, as is the danger of a head-on clash between NATO and our country, with all the potentially catastrophic consequences that would entail,” Ryabkov told TASS.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)