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Moscow will not permit NATO infrastructure near Russia’s borders — diplomat

Konstantin Gavrilov recalled that NATO regularly held military exercises near Russian borders and its planes made reconnaissance flies over the Black and Baltic seas

MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/. Russia will by no means permit the deployment of NATO infrastructures in the territories of neighboring countries, the chief Russian delegate at the military security and arms control talks in Vienna, Konstantin Gavrilov said on the YouTube channel Solovyov Live on Tuesday.

"I believe, yes. Or there will follow a very different response," he said, when asked, if Russia was determined to prevent the deployment of NATO’s infrastructure near its borders.

Gavrilov recalled that NATO regularly held military exercises near Russian borders and its planes made reconnaissance flies over the Black and Baltic seas.

"The so-called rotation in fact means permanent presence of military units, while we are urged to pull back our forces as far as the Urals," he said.

On December 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry released drafts of a treaty between Russia and the United States on security guarantees and of an agreement on measures to guarantee the security of Russia and NATO member-states. The drafts were handed to the US side at a meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry on December 15.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said Russia was ready to retaliate in various ways, including military and military-technical measures, if NATO ignored Moscow’s concerns again.

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