On Tuesday, the US Department of Defense announced that it would quadruple its funding to support forces in Europe and would request $3.4 billion in 2017 budget to support its NATO allies in the region.
"Symmetrical steps are unlikely here, taking into consideration the huge amount of money that our American partners are currently investing and next year, they’re planning to spend four times as much. I’m sure that a symmetrical response to this is completely unnecessary. Compensating measures to support a normal military strategic balance are being taken and will be taken," Kelin told RIA Novosti in an interview published Thursday.
Washington and NATO have been building up their joint military presence in Europe, particularly in Eastern European countries bordering Russia, using Moscow's alleged interference in Ukraine as a pretext for the move.
In September, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any NATO advancement toward Russian borders would prompt Moscow to take counter-measures to ensure the country's national security.
Russia has repeatedly expressed concerns over NATO's military buildup along its western borders, warning that the alliance's expansion undermines regional and global security.
