Russia may be forced to take action in response to what it defines as EU plans to militarize the bloc, presenting Moscow as its main adversary, Reuters reported, citing a Kremlin statement, BTA reported.
Yesterday, European leaders supported plans to increase defense spending and continue support for Ukraine, amid a change in US policy after the election of Donald Trump.
"We see that the European Union is currently actively discussing the militarization of the EU and the development of the defense segment. This is a process that we are closely following because the EU positions Russia as its main adversary," said Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov. "This, of course, could potentially be a cause for deep concern for us and we may need to take appropriate measures in response to ensure our security".
"And of course, such confrontational statements and confrontational thinking, as we see now in Brussels and in European capitals, seriously contradict the attitude towards finding a peaceful solution to Ukraine", Peskov stressed.
Peskov also said that engaging in a nuclear weapons dialogue with the United States was vital after President Donald Trump issued a broad appeal to the world's nuclear powers to give up their weapons.
"It would be great if everyone gave up their nuclear weapons," Trump, who has promised to make denuclearization a goal of his second term, said yesterday.
Russia and the United States have the largest nuclear arsenals in the world, followed by China, Reuters recalls. The "New START" strategic arms control treaty, which limits the maximum number of nuclear warheads that the United States and Russia can deploy, expires in February next year.
The negotiations must also take into account European nuclear arsenals, Peskov said, noting that this has gained greater importance after French President Emmanuel Macron proposed the idea of placing European allies under the protection of the French "nuclear umbrella".