MOSCOW. Feb 15 (Interfax) - Moscow cannot turn a blind eye to the United States and NATO's loose interpretation of the principles of equal security, and it views Russia's deterrence by force as a threat, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"Russia cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that the U.S and the North Atlantic Alliance interpret the key principles of equal and indivisible security, which are entrenched in many common European documents, quite loosely and in their favor," Putin said following talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday.
This principle includes not only a provision of the right to choose the ways to ensure one's security freely and join any military unions and alliances, but also obligations not to strengthen one's own security at the expense of other countries' security, Putin said.
"We view the deterrence of Russia by force as a direct and immediate threat to our national security, and the legal agreements based on the drafts we had submitted [on security guarantees] are aimed to alleviate it," Putin said.