MOSCOW, December 10. /TASS/. The western countries have been exerting efforts aimed at weakening Russia’s military-economic potential, the chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, told an audience of foreign military attaches on Wednesday.

“Steps are being taken to implement specific measures to weaken Russia’s strategic nuclear force,” Gerasimov said.

“Building up the combat capabilities of the US global missile defense system has been selected as one of the chief means of such counteraction,” he said.

Gerasimov said that the military potential “that is being built up in the European missile defense system on some plausible excuses in reality surpasses the level necessary for neutralizing the existing and potential missile threats to Europe many-fold.”

“In defiance of our repeated proposals neither the United States, nor the European countries, nor NATO in general wish to guarantee its non-use against Russia,” Gerasimov said.

US, NATO take Russia as one of main geopolitical rivals

Gerasimov also said the United States and NATO take Russia as one of main geopolitical rivals.

“This relates to crisis settlement in Syria, Iranian nuclear program, events in Ukraine, creation of a positioning area of US missile defence system in Europe and other pressing problems of global security,” he said.

Gerasimov noted that Western countries pursue a goal to settle current international problems in a format favourable for them.

More than 70 military attaches accredited in Russia from 50 countries participated in the meeting with the chief of Russian General Staff.