MOSCOW, Dec 25 (Reuters) - A spokesman for Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that NATO's expansion to the east would force Russia to take "adequate" measures in response, Interfax news agency reported.

The spokesman, Alexander Lukashevich, also said at a briefing that Russia was sure that Ukraine's "European-Atlantic tilt" would be unlikely to help Kiev solve its social and economic difficulties.

(Reporting by Alexander Winning; Editing by Polina Devitt)