MOSCOW, July 7 - The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Russia would closely monitor the outcome of the NATO summit in Turkey, adding that a series of "confrontational" statements about Russia had preceded the event.

NATO leaders are gathering in Ankara for meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday, amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for Europe to step up defence spending and following months of transatlantic friction over the Iran war and Greenland.

"This is an event that is of great interest, including to us. Of course, we will be monitoring all the news and information coming out of Ankara," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

He said a large number of statements about Russia had been made ahead of the summit. "To our regret, these were not statements about constructive engagement and dialogue, but rather statements of a confrontational nature," he said, without giving further detail.

On Monday, Trump said he would talk about the war in Ukraine at the summit and that a resolution to the more than four-year conflict was "getting closer than people realise."

Peskov said Russia hoped U.S. "efforts to steer the entire situation onto a peaceful track (would) ultimately succeed. At the very least, we, as the Russian President has repeatedly said, remain open to this." REUTERS

Kremlin says Russia will follow NATO summit closely