MOSCOW. Jan 12 (Interfax) - Russia views the placement of U.S. tanks and armored hardware in Poland as a threat to Russian national interests and security, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.
"We are looking at it as a threat to us. These are steps that are threatening our interests, our security," he said.
"Especially as it is a third country that is boosting its military presence near our borders in Europe," the Kremlin spokesman said.
"It is not even a European state," Peskov said.
"Any country can and will negatively perceive an increase of a foreign military presence near its borders," he said.
"This is exactly how we perceive it," he said.
When asked whether the redeployment of 1,000 U.S. troops to Poland was viewed as a real threat or whether it simply irritated Russia, Peskov said: "Whether it be 1,000 or 10,000 [servicemen] - it is an increase of the military presence, and there is nothing more to add here."
The EFE news agency said earlier that the main portion of a U.S. armored brigade being redeployed to Eastern Europe would arrive in Poland from Germany on Thursday.
It includes 3,000 servicemen and some 80 tanks. Around 1,000 more servicemen are already present in Polish territory.
A ceremony to welcome the American troops will be held in northern Poland later on Thursday. U.S. brigade soldiers will then conduct a series of training exercises in Poland and are expected to be further stationed in several countries - Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and the Baltic states.