Scheduled for March, US Defender 2020 drills is not directed against Russia, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told France-Presse.

According to him, the drills' goal is to show the ability of US to quickly deploy US forces in Europe to protect the allies of the alliance if necessary. NATO is a defensive alliance, and the upcoming drills are defensive in nature, he noted adding that they are not looking for a confrontation with Russia. 

He added that Russia, as well as OSCE member states, were duly informed by the US of upcoming maneuvers. 

“Russia has every right to feel safe within its borders, but so do our member states,” AFP reported quoting Stoltenberg.

Defender 2020 drills will be the largest US drills in Europe in 25 years. As a military source in NATO explained earlier to TASS, these will be exactly the American maneuvers under the American command. The structures of the North Atlantic Alliance will play a subordinate role during the exercises, engaged in logistics and coordination of contingents of 17 US partner states that will take part in the maneuvers. A total of 37 thousand people will be involved in them, Germany will be the center of their holding, however, various elements of these maneuvers will take place on the territory of 10 NATO states, including near the Russian borders with Poland and the Baltic countries.