Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko, a senior Russian foreign ministry official, noted that Russia views Romania as a NATO outpost and as a threat due to it hosting elements of a U.S. anti-missile shield, Reuters reports.
"Romania's stance and the stance of its leadership, who have turned the country into an outpost, is a clear threat for us," Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko, a senior Russian foreign ministry official, told Interfax in an interview.
"All these decisions ... are in the first instance aimed against Russia," he said, accusing Romanian authorities of reveling in anti-Russian rhetoric.
The US military claims that the shield is needed to protect from Iran, not threaten Russia.