MOSCOW, January 26. /TASS/. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has lost touch with reality and it is difficult to perceive his statements seriously, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Wednesday, commenting on Stoltenberg’s words about a potential military buildup on the eastern flank.
"You know I have not been giving any consideration to his statements for a long time. In my opinion, he has already lost touch with reality," Lavrov said.
On Monday, the North Atlantic Alliance said that NATO Allies "are putting forces on standby and sending additional ships and fighter jets to NATO deployments in eastern Europe, reinforcing Allied deterrence and defense as Russia continues its military build-up in and around Ukraine." For his part, Stoltenberg argued that the deployments of new Allied forces in Eastern Europe "does not threaten Russia" and that NATO "remains ready to continue dialogue with Russia".