The Kremlin warned the United States on Tuesday that an expected visit to Taiwan by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi would put it on a collision course with China and provoke tensions in the region.

"We cannot say for sure right now whether she will or will not get there, but everything about this tour and the possible visit to Taiwan is purely provocative," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

China has repeatedly warned Pelosi against going to Taiwan, which it claims as its own. Beijing says a Pelosi visit would contravene the one-China principle that Washington has vowed to abide by.