Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West on Tuesday of fomenting "years of confrontation" in the Asia-Pacific region after the AUKUS alliance agreed a nuclear-powered submarines deal.
"The Anglo-Saxon world, with the creation of structures like AUKUS and with the advancement of NATO military infrastructures into Asia, is making a serious bet on many years of confrontation" in the region, Lavrov said in televised comments.
The Kremlin said that the AUKUS agreement between Australia, Britain and the United States to supply Canberra with several nuclear-powered submarines would require international oversight.
"There are a lot of questions related to issues around non-proliferation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that "particular transparency will needed".
