Russia continues to criticize the American military presence in Europe, and says that the massive U.S. troops deployment on the continent, as part of continuous troop rotations to Eastern Europe is "a threat" to Russian security, reports CNN.

When asked about the US and NATO troops in Poland during a conference call on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said that Russia's response was a natural reaction to an increase in military strength by a neighbor.

“We see it as a threat to us. This is an action that threatens our interests, our security, moreover, this is a third nation (apart from Russia and Poland) that is increasing its military presence near our borders in Europe, and it's not even a European nation,” he said.

Earlier this week, 4,000 U.S. troops arrived in Germany, and part of them will also be deployed to Romania, by rotation. According to CNN, the Pentagon said that the troop rotations to Europe are meant to send a clear message to Russia.

Moreover, besides the troops, 2,400 pieces of military equipment, such as tanks, armored fighting vehicles, artillery, trucks, and containers were also deployed to Germany. The equipment will be moved to Poland from where it will be dispersed to several countries in Eastern Europe for training and exercises.

U.S. tanks, elite troops arrive in Romania in January

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com