MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The remarks made by Poland’s Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski who called for more troops to be deployed on NATO’s "eastern flank" as a deterrent against Russia are aimed at further deteriorating the already strained Moscow-Warsaw relations, a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
"Irresponsible statements, aimed at further undermining the strained relations between our countries, do not in any way correspond with the intentions voiced by the people working under his guidance during consultations in Moscow on January 22 to develop pragmatic cooperation between Russia and Poland, and to revive the mechanisms and formats of bilateral interaction, frozen on Warsaw's initiative," the source stressed.
The lack of deployment of troops and defense installations equates to weakness that might result in a confrontation, incidents or provocations, the foreign minister stressed.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has repeatedly called for a reinforced military presence in Eastern Europe in response to what NATO and the West claim to be a Russian threat. Moscow has repeatedly warned against the NATO military build-up along Russia’s borders.