Russia will keep its troops near the border with Ukraine as long as NATO presence continues contributing to tensions in the region, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN.
"There are Russian troops on the territory of the Russian Federation, next to Ukrainian borders. We find it necessary to keep those troops [due to] a very tense situation and very unfriendly environment," he said.
The spokesman cited NATO military build-up, exercises and routine missions of fighter jets and reconnaissance aircraft near the western Russian border.
"We have to respond, we have to take measures of precaution. That's why we have our military on our territory there," the spokesperson added. (ANI/Sputnik)
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor