NATO must explain military buildup in Europe: Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called on NATO to explain its recently announced plans to bolster military presence in Eastern Europe. Lavrov told a press conference on Thursday that his country is waiting for an explanation from NATO about its plans to intensify activities in East European countries. “We have posed these questions to the North Atlantic Alliance. We are expecting not just any answer but an answer fully respectful of the rules we have coordinated
,” Lavrov said after negotiations with his Kazakh counterpart Yerlan Idrisov. The Russian Minister noted that Russia-NATO relations are based on certain rules under which no country has a right to deploy additional troops in East European states. Responding to criticism over the presence of Russian troops along the border with Ukraine, Lavrov said Russia had the right to move its forces within its territory, adding that the forces will get back to their bases after completing their military drills.