NATO Wants to Cooperate With Russia - Stoltenberg

Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg emphasized that the alliance seeks to work together with Russia, which he also accused of becoming more aggressive in recent years.

"Our aim is to cooperate with Russia," since that is to the benefit of both sides, Stoltenberg told Norwegian radio NRK, adding that Moscow does not pose an "immediate threat" to any NATO country.

Last week, Russia's Foreign Ministry criticized NATO for creating myths about the "threat from the East," as well as distorting facts and making unilateral assessments.

Meanwhile, over a dozen NATO members are taking part in the massive Saber Strike war-games, a US Army Europe-led security cooperation exercise primarily focused on the three Baltic States.

Over six thousand military personnel from 13 NATO member states participated in the drills that kicked off in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland on Monday.

These military drills carry an anti-Russian political message, as "NATO is trying to threaten Russia and that is not good," Er Ali, a retired Turkish Brigadier General told Sputnik.

Additionally, several NATO members are taking part in the Adriatic Strike 2015 military exercises held in Slovenia from June 1 to June 6.

In late May, Sweden, Norway and Finland hosted one of Europe's largest fighter jet drills, dubbed the Arctic Challenge Exercise 2015 (ACE 2015). The 12-day drills, with Norway as a lead nation, included 4,000 personnel and incorporated Swiss, Dutch, British, French, German and US jets, in addition to those from Northern Europe.

Russia maintains that US and NATO military drills close to Russia's borders threaten stability on the continent.

NATO exercises and deployments near Russia since 2014

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