Putin: "NATO is inflating and expanding into other regions of the world."

 Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced NATO's unchecked expansion into new global regions and the warmongering rhetoric of European leaders as major threats to national security.

"As is well known, the threats are not diminishing. NATO is expanding, reaching into other regions of the world. And some European leaders openly declare that they are preparing for war with Russia. In my view, they are simply trying to salvage their plummeting popularity ratings by masking errors in their economic and social policies," Putin stated on Friday.

• He also accused European leaders of resorting to talk of a potential war with Moscow to halt their slide in popularity.

"They are simply trying to save their declining ratings, covering up mistakes in economic and social policy," he asserted.