ATHENS, March 25. /TASS/. NATO continues along the path of confrontation with Russia, using a so-called "threat from the East" in attempts to formulate its new mission in the new security situation, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told the media on Thursday.

"The results of the ministerial level meeting must be studied first without jumping at hasty conclusions. But it is very clear that NATO is following a path of confrontation with Russia. NATO is unable to get rid of the habit of using a ‘threat from the East’ in attempts to formulate its mission in the new security situation," he said.

Grushko said that in recent years the alliance invented quite a few arguments and excuses in attempts to persuade the public in Western countries its additional military efforts in the East met the alliance’s security interests.

"For this reason, we are unable to seriously respond to the charges that we hear from the top tiers of NATO’s hierarchy," Grushko said.

The foreign ministers of 30 NATO member-countries on Tuesday held their first personal meeting in Brussels in which US Secretary of State Antony Blinken took part. The main issues on the agenda were the alliance’s reform in accordance with the concept NATO-2030, which is to get the organization ready for challenges of the future, as well as troop pullout from Afghanistan and relations with Russia.