MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Plans to upgrade Russia's nuclear arsenals do not contradict the country’s international commitments on global security, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has stressed.
"Russia's plans to modernize nuclear potential in no way contradict our international obligations," Rogozin wrote in his Twitter blog on Wednesday in response to comments by NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Gen. Philip Breedlove.
Breedlove said earlier on Wednesday that Russia's plans to add 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles to its nuclear arsenal was "not a way that responsible nuclear nations behave."
The plan was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated in Washington that Russia’s "recent use of nuclear rhetoric, exercises and operations are deeply troubling." Breedlove confirmed on Tuesday that the alliance was considering “prepositioning” heavy military equipment on its eastern flank.
Over the past year, NATO has increased its number of air patrol missions along the Russian borders.
In January, Stoltenberg announced plans to boost the bloc's military presence in Eastern Europe, also increasing the number of warships in the Black Sea.
Russia has repeatedly expressed concern over the buildup of NATO forces in Eastern Europe, saying that it is an aggressive step that could increase tensions and destabilize the region.
