MOSCOW, December 20. /TASS/. NATO is preparing for war with Russia, Moscow takes these risks into account in military planning and does not advise the West to experiment with it, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in an interview with kp.ru.

"It is in everyone's interest not to bring the situation to this kind of experiments. Russia has consistently pursued a course of avoiding a direct clash, including by demonstrating our military capabilities. There is every reason to believe that the signals sent by us about the possible consequences of a potential clash with us are being read on the other side," he said.

"NATO is preparing for an armed conflict with Russia. Our proposals for strengthening military security have been rejected by the US and its allies. NATO's aggressive behavior and the associated direct risks to Russia's security are taken into account in our military construction and defense planning," the senior diplomat said, noting that Russia's security will be ensured under any scenarios.

According to Grushko, NATO's general course poses a danger both to Russia and to the entire architecture of global and regional security. "Russia is declared to be 'the most significant and direct threat to the security of the Allies' in the long term. By demonizing Russia's intentions, NATO is trying to achieve superiority in all operational environments, continuously increasing the size of military contingents near Russia's borders, conducting exercises that include the practice of offensive actions, developing logistical infrastructure for the rapid transfer of troops, weapons and equipment," the deputy foreign minister pointed out. "Regional defense plans have been adopted, which are largely based on the schemes used by the alliance during the Cold War," he pointed out.