French soldiers, who are part of NATO's plan to reinforce its eastern flank to deter a militarily resurgent Russia, arrive at Amari military air base in Estonia on March 20, 2017. (AFP PHOTO)

MOSCOW, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Moscow is being pressured to take a confrontational stance in relations with NATO based on the logic of a military standoff, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.

"What kind of 'constructive' relationship can be expected between Russian and NATO when the U.S. and its allies continue to act on old patterns and have been obsessed with building up their military presence on our borders, justifying this with the need to 'contain Russia'?" The ministry said in a statement commenting on the results of the latest Russia-NATO Council meeting at the ambassadorial level in Brussels.

Noting that NATO is not ready to return to practical cooperation with Russia in resolving real security challenges regionally and globally, the ministry called for a radical change in the nature of the alliance so as to better ensure European security.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Thursday voiced deep concern over the security situation in eastern Ukraine at a press conference after the meeting, saying that "ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine have reached record levels."

According to sources, the sanctions introduced against Russia over the conflict in eastern Ukraine can be expanded if Moscow continues "aggressive behavior".