Russia says wants answers on NATO plans in eastern Europe

Russia says it wants answers from NATO regarding activities in eastern Europe, after the Western military alliance said it would step up defenses for its eastern members.

Russia's move to annex the Crimea region from Ukraine last month has sparked the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War, and raised fears among its eastern European neighbors.

At a meeting this week, NATO foreign ministers decided the alliance would draw up plans for reinforcing NATO's defenses following Moscow's move -- which the West deems illegal.

These would possibly include measures such as sending NATO soldiers and equipment to allies in eastern Europe, holding more exercises and ensuring NATO's rapid-reaction force could deploy more quickly, a NATO official said. It could also include a possible review of NATO's military plans.

"We have posed these questions to the North Atlantic Alliance. We are expecting not just any answer but an answer fully respectful of the rules we have coordinated," Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov told a joint news briefing with his Kazakh counterpart on Thursday.

Responding to criticism from Kiev and the West over the presence of Russian troops along the border with Ukraine, Lavrov said Russia had the right to move forces on its territory and said they would return to their permanent bases after completing military exercises.

"Russian troops in the Rostov region will return to their bases after completing military exercises," Lavrov said, referring to an area near the Ukrainian border.

NATO's military chief warned Wednesday that Russian troops could begin moving on Ukraine within 12 hours of being given an order, amid fears that Moscow could seek to invade its eastern region.

Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO's supreme allied commander Europe, also said that with 40,000 troops massed near the border, Russia has all the components necessary to move on Ukraine.