Kremlin calls NATO 'tool of aggression' amid alliance's budget rise call

MOSCOW - The Kremlin said Monday the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) revealed itself as an instrument of aggression and confrontation.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the comments following reports of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's expected call on members of the alliance to increase their air and missile defenses by 400 percent to counter the Russian threat.

Peskov said the alliance is ineffective in maintaining security on the continent, adding that European taxpayers would bear the cost of attempting to counter the alleged Russian threat.

The spokesperson also noted that Moscow will also "retain the freedom" to deploy medium- and shorter-range missiles to protect its security interests.

NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels on Thursday "broadly" agreed to pursue a significant increase in member states' military spending to 5 percent of GDP.

However, sharp disagreements over the timeline and spending categories revealed deep divisions ahead of the alliance's upcoming summit in The Hague, scheduled for June 24-25.