Kremlin says NATO following path of 'militarization' after push to raise military budget

MOSCOW - The Kremlin said Tuesday that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is on the path of "militarization" after the alliance's latest push to raise its defense budget.

"The alliance is confidently following the path of blatant militarization, Europe is following the path of blatant militarization. This is the reality that surrounds us," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Peskov added that NATO executives need to "make a monster out of Russia" to push through a decision to increase military spending of member states.

NATO's annual summit opened Tuesday in The Hague. Ahead of the summit, NATO's 32 member states agreed on a proposed target to raise defense spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2035. The proposal is expected to be submitted for approval by the heads of state and government at the summit.