“As for the Russian military, it is our sovereign right to think about our state security and keep our troops where we believe they are important for the defense of Russia,” Vershinin was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying.
According to him, if there are foreign military in Europe, then it is definitely not the Russian military.
The Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia stressed that "they could be Americans, someone else, but not Russians."
Earlier, the Ministry of Defense announced that the Russian military would return to the points of permanent deployment after the completion of the exercises in Belarus.
As noted in the Kremlin, Russia has conducted and will conduct exercises on its territory, this right is not subject to discussion.
In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russian troops were deployed on the territory of the country and did not threaten anyone.
The Kremlin emphasized that Russia was not going to attack anyone.