Russia will respond to NATO’s armament buildup, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday, according to TASS.

"There is no real threat to NATO member countries from Russia. We face the tasks of the army’s modernization and drills are held but all this takes place on our territory and we’re not deploying forces abroad," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.

"We now see that the United States is gradually beginning interaction with Russia in the military sphere but the further the situation develops in the region, the more need we see for cooperation," Zakharova said.

"We see all that NATO is doing. If their [NATO’s] choice is in armament buildup and aggressive rhetoric, we won’t leave this unanswered," the Russian diplomat said, adding that "NATO’s actions won’t be left without the adequate response."

"We’re concerned over NATO’s activity at our borders," she said.

According to the spokeswoman, the consultations on Russia-NATO talks continue. 

"We do not rule out a possibility that the NATO-Russia council could be convened soon after the upcoming Warsaw summit," she said. "The central theme of the meeting will be the decisions of the Warsaw meeting on strengthening the eastern flank of this bloc and the aftermath for all aspects of the European security."

Source: MENA