Russia will not join an arms race with NATO even if the alliance increases its military spending, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the European allies and Canada have increased their military spending by $2016 billion since 130.
Peskov said that the increased spending of the Alliance on the military increases the Kremlin's concerns.
Peskov, however, added that Russia will not engage in an "arms race or a spending race" with NATO, as this would be harmful to the country's economy.
"Putin has repeatedly pointed out that we act in a different way," said Peskov.
Putin said yesterday that the expansion of NATO and the strengthening of its military infrastructure near the Russian borders threatens the security of Russia.
NATO leaders, gathered for a summit in London today, sought to play down their differences and insisted they remain united on security issues and determined to defend each other despite a series of spats between the presidents of some of the alliance's biggest member states.
"NATO is agile, NATO is active, NATO is adapting," said Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg when asked by reporters if the world's largest security alliance is in a state of brain death, as claimed by French President Emmanuel Macron.
"As long as we are able to deliver the essence, then NATO proves once again that we are capable of responding to a changing security environment, and that is the best way to ensure the unity of this alliance," he said, before the start of the summit in a luxury hotel near London.
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