STOCKHOLM — Prime Minister Vladimir Putin expressed worries again about the expansion of NATO on Wednesday, a day after he criticized the military alliance over its operation in Libya.
"The expansion of NATO infrastructure toward our borders is causing us concern," Putin said at a news conference after meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.
"NATO is not simply a political bloc, it is a military bloc. No one cancelled the agreements on how the bloc reacts to external threats. It is a defense structure," Putin said.
Moscow has long been worried by NATO's growth and the possibility of its further expansion to take in former Soviet republics such as Georgia or Ukraine. And it is wary of U.S. and NATO plans for a European missile defense shield.
Visiting Denmark on Tuesday, Putin criticized NATO for attacking Libya, saying it had neither the right nor the mandate to kill the country's leader, Moammar Gadhafi.
Sweden is taking part in the NATO operation in Libya, though it is not a member of the military alliance.
In the context of the Libya operation, Putin also said decisions on using military force were being made too easily.
He contrasted this with the Soviet war in Afghanistan in the 1980s, when he said Soviet commanders were much more careful in their use of force for fear of causing civilian deaths and casualties.