Moscow to Respond to NATO Buildup Near Russian Border – Foreign Minister

Russia will take the necessary steps to fend off threats to national security caused by NATO military buildup near its borders, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Since 2014, NATO has been building up its military presence in Europe, particularly in eastern European countries bordering Russia, using Moscow's alleged interference in Ukraine as a pretext for the move.

Moldovan youngsters hold anti-NATO banners during a protest in the border town of Sculeni, Moldova, Tuesday, May 3, 2016 against the May 3-20 joint US-Moldovan military exercises as less than 20 percent of Moldovans want to join the military alliance

© AP Photo / Roveliu Buga

Moscow has repeatedly dismissed the Ukraine-related accusations leveled at it, warning that increased NATO activities near the country's borders could undermine regional and global stability.

"We are not inclined to dramatize the situation. At the same time, of course, we cannot ignore the negative tendencies caused by NATO's policy of deliberately undermining the strategic balance of forces in Europe, including the strengthening of the North Atlantic Alliance's military potential near Russia's borders, the creation of the European segment of the global US missile defense," Lavrov told Hungary’s Magyar Nemzet newspaper.

"These actions cannot be described as anything but short-sighted and destabilizing."