Russia to give ‘adequate’ response to NATO’s expansion

NATO's recent decision to set up additional command centers in six different countries will inevitably lead to "adequate" changes in Russia's military planning, the country's envoy to the alliance, Sputnik agency quoted Alexander Grushko, as saying to Russian journalists.
"The opening up of additional military potential along our borders is nothing more than an attempt to exert pressure on Russia," Grushko said, adding that Russia's response will be "adequate" in any case.
According to the envoy, the "serious changes in the military-political situation" along the Russian border will "naturally" lead to changes in Russia's military planning, aimed at ensuring the country's security.
On Thursday, the defense ministers of NATO member-states agreed on the creation of six new command and control posts in Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania during a meeting in Brussels. The ministers also announced that NATO's Response Force would be doubled to include up to 30,000 people.
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The decision "creates a great risk for Russia", primarily in the Baltics, which could become a region of "military confrontation", Grushko stressed.
On Thursday, the defense ministers of NATO member-states agreed on the creation of six new command and control posts in Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania during a meeting in Brussels. The ministers also announced that NATO's Response Force would be doubled to include up to 30,000 people.
The decision "creates a great risk for Russia", primarily in the Baltics, which could become a region of "military confrontation", Grushko stressed.
The envoy added that the creation of a joint training center in Georgia, announced by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday, will also contribute to geopolitical tensions and the aggravation of regional security.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
© AP Photo/ Geert Vanden Wijngaert
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"The training center in Georgia is a step that cannot be considered anything but provocation. There is no necessity for NATO to create any [training] centers," Grushko said, stressing that countries in the Black Sea region are capable of ensuring their own security.
Stoltenberg said at a press conference Thursday, following the Brussels meeting of NATO defense ministers, that the training center, to be set up in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, will train both Georgian and NATO troops.
NATO's growing presence in Eastern Europe has been the subject of geopolitical tensions, with Russia having expressed growing concern over the buildup of NATO forces along its western border.
NATO, which has accused Russia of being involved in the Ukrainian crisis, claims that the expansion is aimed at protecting its member-states and allies.