MOSCOW, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The European Union's (EU) latest plan to increase defense spending is at odds with efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

"Such confrontational rhetoric and developments that we are now seeing in Brussels and European capitals ... are clearly at odds with the desire to find ways to peacefully settle the situation around Ukraine," Peskov said.

Moscow is closely monitoring the process, the spokesman said, noting that the efforts are mainly directed against Russia, which the EU views as its main adversary.

"This ... could potentially be a topic of our deep concern and the need to take appropriate retaliatory measures to ensure our security," Peskov said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday unveiled an 800 billion-euro (844.6 billion U.S. dollars) plan to significantly increase defense spending across the bloc. She stressed that in response to escalating security threats across the EU, Europe had entered "an era of rearmament." Enditem

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