SOCHI, November 19. /TASS/. The situation in the world, in particular on the Korean Peninsula, in Ukraine and the Middle East, has seriously aggravated, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday at a meeting with senior officials of the Russian defense ministry.
"We see that over the recent year the situation on the planet has not become calmer, regrettably. It has aggravated in a number of region," he said. "Thus, for example, the situation in the Middle East, in Afghanistan is far from being stable. There is a lot of uncertainty on the Korean Peninsula. Despite the agreements reached in Minsk, armed confrontation continues in southeastern Ukraine. Year after year, NATO keeps on building up its military potential near our border. The future of the fundamental agreements in the sphere of arms control is up in the air."
Nevertheless, the Russian leader said he hopes common sense and responsibility must be the basis for strategic stability and collective security. "We hope that common sense and mutual responsibility will constitute a basis for a strategic stability and collective security dialogue which has long been pending," he stressed.
According to Putin, in the current situation the Russian authorities must do their best to ensure balanced development of the army and navy to be sure they are capable of neutralizing any potential threats. At the same time, he warned against "being dragged into a militarist race" and stressed the importance of "flexible, non-wasteful but efficient solutions.".