Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that NATO expansion poses a threat to Russia's security.
Putin told military leaders that NATO was created as a counterweight to the Soviet Union and continued to exist even though the USSR was gone.
According to him, stereotypical "block thinking" is not a good way to make decisions in "rapidly changing global conditions".
The Russian leader said the North Atlantic Alliance had ignored Moscow's offers to cooperate in fighting global challenges such as international terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
He also said NATO had treated Russia "rudely" and refused to take Russian interests into account.
The expansion of NATO and the strengthening of the military infrastructure of the alliance near the Russian borders represents a "potential threat", Putin said.
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