US Expecting Russian Response to NATO Developments After Warsaw Summit

The US anticipated some reaction from Russia to NATO’s expanded presence in Europe announced at the summit in Warsaw, according to US Department of Defense Europe and NATO Policy Office Principal Director Rachel Ellehuus.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States anticipated some reaction from Russia to NATO’s expanded European presence announced at the recent summit in Warsaw, US Department of Defense Europe and NATO Policy Office Principal Director Rachel Ellehuus told Sputnik.

"I think we always expect a response," Ellehuus said on Wednesday regarding reports from the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) meeting earlier in the day.

Following the NRC meeting, Russian permanent envoy to NATO Alexander Grushko told reporters the alliance’s growing presence along Russia’s border forces Moscow to adapt to a new security situation. Grushko further stated that Russia will do everything necessary to ensure its defenses.

Ellehuus noted that the response to the latest developments in NATO is not a surprise, but emphasized that the United States is in favor of "communication" between the military alliance and Russia.

"That is why we supported having the meeting in Brussels", she pointed out.

During the last week’s NATO summit in Warsaw, the alliance agreed to place four combat battalions in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and further build up its conventional deterrence against Russia.

The Thursday NRC meeting of diplomatic officials is the second such meeting since June 2014, when NATO suspended the Council as well as military cooperation with Russia as a result of the crisis in Ukraine.