Foreign Ministry: closing the Baltic Sea for the Russian Federation would mean closing it for everyone

Restricting Russia’s access to the Baltic Sea means closing it to everyone; NATO is aware of these consequences. This statement was made by Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Grushko on the sidelines of the Verona Eurasian Economic Forum.

“I think that those people who make decisions in NATO and military strategists understand very well that closing the Baltic Sea to Russia means closing the Baltic Sea to everyone,” he said (quote according to TASS).

Grushko stressed that the Baltic Sea will never become a NATO internal sea. In his opinion, such statements are made by “frivolous politicians.”

20 October President of Latvia Edgars Rinkevics offered block the Baltic Sea if Russia’s involvement in the damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline, which runs between Estonia and Finland, is proven. He clarified that he had not discussed this issue with NATO allies because the investigation into the incident had not yet been completed.

In response to the Kremlin statedthat Russia “has not and will never have anything to do with any actions of this kind.” At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier notedthat closing the Baltic Sea to Russian ships would be a flagrant violation of international law, and warned the West of the “serious consequences” of such a move.