MOSCOW (Sputnik) — He said NATO had intensified its activity in the Baltic, Barents and Black seas, adding that the activity was destructive and provocative.
"The dialogue between the Russian Federation and NATO is frozen, military contacts minimized, the confidence between the alliance and Russia is at the lowest level since the end of the Cold War", Gerasimov said at a briefing for foreign military attaches.
Since 2014, NATO has been building up its military presence in Europe, especially in Eastern European countries neighboring Russia, using Moscow’s alleged interference in the Ukrainian conflict as a pretext. Moscow has repeatedly denied the claims and warned NATO that the military buildup on Russia’s borders is provocative and threatens the existing strategic balance of power.
During the last NATO summit in July, NATO resolved to strengthen its military presence in Eastern Europe on a rotational basis with four battalions in Poland and in the Baltic nations. During the 2014 summit, NATO established a 5,000-strong Very High Readiness Joint Task Force in response to the alleged Russian threat.
