Russia to strengthen military capabilities to counter NATO threat

Moscow, June 25 Russia has no other options than to strengthen its military capabilities amid an increasing threat of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said.

"The recent NATO summit demonstrated unprecedented anti-Russian sentiment and confirmed the alliance's desire to occupy the role of the world's police," Patrushev said at the ninth Moscow Conference on International Security on Thursday.

He pointed to the bloc's increased military spending that went up by 4 per cent in 2020 despite a global economic decline.

Russia is well aware of the detrimental consequences of NATO policies on international and regional security, Patrushev added.