Russia says NATO remarks on pre-emptive strike are irresponsible and escalatory

MOSCOW, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Russia said on Monday that remarks by NATO's most senior military officer that the U.S.-led military alliance could consider a "pre-emptive strike" to be extremely irresponsible and an attempt to move towards escalation.

Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone told the Financial Times that NATO was looking at stepping up its response to hybrid warfare from Moscow, and said that a "pre-emptive strike" could be considered a "defensive action".

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the remarks were seen by Moscow as "an extremely irresponsible step, indicating the alliance's readiness to continue moving towards escalation."

"We see in it a deliberate attempt to undermine efforts to overcome the Ukrainian crisis," Zakharova said. "The people making such statements should be aware of the risks and possible consequences, including for the alliance members themselves."

(Reporting by Maxim Rodionov; Writing by Gleb Stolyarov; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge)

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