NATO’s military buildup near Russia’s borders has upset military parity in Europe, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday, adding that Russia will take retaliatory measures without entering an arms race.
Putin said that NATO is openly showing its anti-Russian intentions by deploying forces in Poland and the Baltics and building missile defense sites.
“All that is aimed at undermining a military parity that has formed over decades,” Putin said in a foreign policy speech before top Russian diplomats.
NATO has rotated weapons and troops to reassure its eastern members amid tensions with Russia over the Ukrainian crisis.
Russia has described NATO’s U.S.-led missile shield as a top security threat, rejecting Washington’s claims that the shield is intended to fend off the Iranian missile threat. Läs artikel