NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg rejected accusations the Western alliance was provoking Moscow with its military exercises in the Black Sea, and blamed Russia in turn for having used military drills as a disguise for attacking neighbouring countries.

In contrast to Russia, NATO was always following international regulations on inviting foreign observers to its drills, the alliance’s secretary-general told the Reuters Next conference on Wednesday.

The problem with Russia is that they are not transparent, that they have a very aggressive rhetoric and a track record showing they have used military exercises before as a disguise for aggressive actions against neighbours, he said.

Secretary Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that the Western alliance was working closely to protect allies against new Chinese and Russian missiles that can reach Europe and North America.

Russia, but also China, now invest heavily in nuclear-capable systems that can reach all NATO countries, Mr. Stoltenberg told media.

It is something we have to take very seriously, he said, citing Russian investment in extremely long-range, high-speed, manoeuvrable missiles.