Kremlin: The Black Sea will never be a NATO sea

The Black Sea will never become a NATO sea, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s call to turn it into NATO’s demilitarized inland waters.

“The statement itself is based on two contradictions: NATO and demilitarization are mutually exclusive concepts. The Black Sea will never be a NATO sea,” he said.

The Black Sea is common to all coastal countries and should be a sea of ​​cooperation, interaction and indivisible security, he added.

Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba called for the demilitarization of the Black Sea and turning it into a “NATO sea” so that “peaceful, law-abiding countries” could use it for trade and travel. He stated this as transmit RIA Novosti, at a conference on the security of the Black Sea in Bucharest.

Last November, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken promised strengthen the presence of NATO “from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea”. At that time, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the number of NATO troops near the Russian borders was about 30,000 people.

Earlier in mid-March, an American MQ-9 drone crashed in the Black Sea. According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, he flew with transponders turned off and in violation of borders in the area of ​​the temporary regime for the use of airspace. As a result, Russian fighter jets were lifted into the air. The agency clarified that due to the sharp maneuvering, the drone became uncontrollable and fell into the sea. It was emphasized that the Russian aircraft did not use airborne weapons and did not come into contact with the drone. The American side claimed that the MQ-9 fell into the sea after one of the Russian fighter jets hit the propeller of the drone. The Pentagon said the drone was on a reconnaissance mission, without specifying if the drone carried a weapon. The US State Department considered the actions of the Russian military unintentional.

At the White House called flight restrictions imposed by the Russian Federation over the Black Sea are illegal and have stated that they are not going to follow them. John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator at the White House National Security Council, said the US plans to continue flying in the area as long as its actions do not violate international law.