Russia Will Asymmetrically Respond To Unfriendly Steps Of West If Necessary - Lavrov

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2021) Moscow will take asymmetric retaliatory steps to the unfriendly actions of the West if necessary, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"We confirmed our intention to continue to show an exceptionally restrained approach, not to create artificial problems, but we will, of course, respond to the unfriendly steps that the West is taking. We will act reciprocally, and if necessary, asymmetrically," he said after talks in France.

The issue of strategic stability was discussed at the French-Russian "2+2" talks, including in the context of new challenges after the US withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and the Open Skies Treaty, he said.

NATO is behaving aggressively toward Russia, including by the latest buildup in the Black Sea, Lavrov said.

Russia and France at a meeting in the "2+2" format discussed the deployment of additional NATO forces in the Black Sea, he said.

"We traditionally did not bypass sharp corners and, among other things, considered the subjects on which our approaches do not always coincide, and in some places even contradict each other. This includes attempts to restrain the development of Russia, which are directly declared by NATO and the Americans, and include rather aggressive actions of NATO in relation to our country, of which there have been many examples in recent days. And from the point of view of deploying additional forces around the Black Sea, the direction of warships on an unusual scale to this region and other similar, rather militant actions," he told reporters.