Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told TASS in an interview published on Monday that if the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) were to reduce its troops in Eastern Europe, this would "likely benefit the overall security of the continent."

Talking about reports that Washington might pull back 10,000 troops from the area, Ryabkov commented that "time will tell what the United States and the European Union ultimately agree upon."

The Russian diplomat insisted that halting NATO expansion remains a major issue for Moscow. "It is simply impossible to resolve the current conflict in the Euro-Atlantic without addressing this problem," he underlined.