Lavrov: Claims of Russia's Dangerous Activity on NATO Borders Unfounded

Claims that Russia conducts "dangerous activities" near NATO borders are unfounded, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Sweden's Dagens Nyheter newspaper published Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian Foreign Minister also stated that the flights of Russian military aircraft over a US destroyer in the Baltic Sea were completely legitimate and took place at a safe distance from the vessel.

"I consider claims that Russia began to conduct dangerous activities near NATO as an unscrupulous attempt to distort the reality."

"On the contrary, it is NATO that expands its infrastructure closer to Russian borders."

Flights of Russian Jets Over US Destroyer in Baltic Sea Completely Legitimate

Earlier this month, US European Command (EUCOM) accused two Russian Su-24 bombers jets of flying over the US Navy destroyer Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea in manner that resembled an attack and ignored safety advisories. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the bombers swerved away from the US warship once it was identified.

"Our planes were carrying out completely legitimate training flights in the international airspace. They saw that a US destroyer with powerful armaments was coming towards our military base and decided to check it out. As soon as they saw who it was, which happened at a safe distance, they turned around and continued their flight."

Following the incident, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said that the US military expected Russian senior leaders to discourage the country’s military pilots from conducting dangerous flyovers of US ships because it could lead to a confrontation.

US State Secretary John Kerry, in turn, expressed his strong objections to Lavrov over the incident.