Russian President Vladimir Putin, during an interview with a German channel, accused the West of provoking Russia into a new cold war.
According to The Guardian, the airing of the interview, which was recorded by the German channel ARD in Vladivostok last week, followed Russia's tit-for-tat expulsions of German and Polish diplomats, as well as the deportation of a Latvian accused of spying.
Answering questions about growing tensions between Washington and Moscow, Putin said that Russian was forced to respond after two rounds of Nato expansion in central and eastern Europe had been "significant geopolitical game changers".
Putin said that Nato and the United States had military bases scattered all over the globe, including in areas close to Russian borders, and their number was growing.
He also pointed that special operations forces were deployed recently in close proximity to Russian borders.
