MOSCOW: The Kremlin on Friday condemned the European Union's "confrontational rhetoric" after the bloc's leaders agreed to boost its defences at a crisis summit.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that Russia is closely observing the EU, saying that "it is actively discussing the topic of militarisation" and "positioning Russia as the main enemy".
This could "potentially be a topic of our deep concern", that could lead to a situation where "the necessity arises to take appropriate retaliatory measures", Peskov said, without elaborating.
The Kremlin spokesman said the EU's "confrontational rhetoric and confrontational analysis is seriously out of tune with the mood of seeking routes to peaceful settlement" of the three-year Ukraine conflict.
After Trump made calls for nuclear disarmament involving Russia Thursday, the Kremlin said that there have been no such talks between the US and Russia, but that European nuclear stockpiles must be an "area of interest" in any such discussions.
Peskov cited French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal in an address to the nation that France could extend its nuclear umbrella to protect neighbouring countries.