nato meeting Romania
© Daniel Mihailescu / Agence France-Presse (L-R) US Admiral and Commander of the US Naval Forces Europe Mark E Ferguson, Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Romanian Prime minister Dacian Ciolos and US Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert O Work, May 12, 2016.
Russia is being forced to look for ways to neutralize threats to its national security due to deployment of the NATO anti-missile shield in Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after the alliance launched a missile defense site in Romania.

The US missile shield in Europe is a clear violation of Russian-American arms treaties, Putin said at a meeting with Russian military officials, adding that the anti-missile facilities can be easily re-purposed for firing short and midrange missiles.

The US anti-missile shield in Europe is yet another step in increasing international tensions and launching a new arms race, he stressed.

However, Putin assured that Moscow has no intention of being dragged into an arms race. The country will be working "carefully" in accordance with existing plans, he added.

"Recent developments indicate that the situation isn't getting better. Unfortunately, it's deteriorating. I'm talking about the launch of the radar station in Romania as one of the elements of the up-and-coming US anti-missile defense program," Putin said.

Russia is making every effort to maintain the strategic balance of power, in order to avoid the outbreak of large-scale conflicts, the president said.