Russia has warned that a possible US deployment of ballistic missiles in the Asia-Pacific region will pose a threat to global security.

Axar.az reports citing Presstv that speaking at a weekly televised briefing in capital Moscow on Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: “US actions are creating a threat for international security.”

She was referring to provocative comments by Pentagon chief Mark Esper earlier this month that he was in favor of placing ground-launched, intermediate-range ballistic missiles in Asia relatively soon.

On Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin also warned that Russia would take action to counter the threat from the newly-tested ground-based cruise missile, saying such missiles could soon be fired from launching sites in other countries, including Romania and Poland.

Thus, it poses a “danger” to Russia’s security, and Moscow would take “countermeasures,” including the development of its own ground-launched short- and mid-range missiles, he said during a visit to Helsinki, Finland.