MOSCOW, September 2. /TASS/. Russia can not recognize the interests that are currently being defended by NATO under the US influence as legitimate, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Rossiya 24 TV channel on Friday.

"From the viewpoint of the national interests of each state, we cannot recognize as legitimate the interests that are now being defended by the North Atlantic Alliance under the US influence, because attempts to demonize us are obvious", he said, adding "no country, including Russia, is above criticism."

"As for the current period in our relations, it is worth noting that we have more than once got our fingers burned on the promises they gave us but never fulfilled - beginning from the verbal assurances not to expand NATO and not to expand its infrastructure to the east, to the non-deployment of NATO's military structure on the territory of the former GDR", the Russian foreign minister said.