"If you listen to some people like (the) minister of war — or, sorry, minister of defence of the United Kingdom, then you might get an impression that nobody except NATO has the right to be anywhere," he added.
ADVERTISEMENTIn what appeared to be a slip of the tongue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called British Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson a "minister of war" on Saturday.
The comment came in response to a question about ways to secure peace in the Arctic at a discussion during the Munich security conference.
Russia seeks to "understand what kind of mandate NATO is going to have" in the region, according to Lavrov.
"If you listen to some people like (the) minister of war — or, sorry, minister of defence of the United Kingdom — then you might get an impression that nobody except NATO has the right to be anywhere," he added.
Concerns over Russia’s assertiveness, calls for a stronger EU and foreign policy, and further commitments to NATO dominated as the 55th Munich Security Conference kicked off on Friday.