MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/. President of Russia Vladimir Putin referred to US President Joe Biden's claims that Moscow may attack NATO as absurd and a figure of speech.

"This is absolutely absurd. I believe that President Biden is aware of this, this is merely a figure of speech to support his incorrect strategy against Russia," he said in an interview with Rossiya-1 channel journalist Pavel Zarubin.

He added that Russia has no interest in fighting with NATO countries. In addition to saying that Moscow and the NATO members "have no territorial claims against each other," Putin also noted that Russia does not to "sour relations with them (NATO countries - TASS)".

According to the Russian leader, this "president of any large country, especially a NATO country, should understand that," and even more so the president of the United States, "the only owners of NATO," since "this is their backyard - the entire NATO organization.".