Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Moscow is worried about the advancement of American ballistic missile defenses in the Pacific Rim, he said at a plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

"Security issues are of great importance. We’re discussing them all, including from the positions that you just mentioned: naturally, we cannot but be concerned about many aspects of military cooperation in the [Pacific Rim] region, including the advancement of American ballistic missile defenses," the Russian leader stressed. ‘This is the matter of our debate."