Russian deputy FM asserts that the Baltic Sea will not turn into NATO’s 'internal lake'
Aleksandr Grushko has stated that Moscow will take appropriate measures in response to any actions by the US-led bloc in the region. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Moscow plans to take appropriate action in response to any movements by the US-led bloc in the region, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko. He emphasized that Russia will do everything necessary to safeguard its interests in the Baltic Sea in light of NATO's increased activity there.
In mid-January, NATO revealed the initiation of its Baltic Sentry mission, which is designed to patrol the Baltic Sea following the damage to significant underwater cables last year.
Grushko stated that the bloc’s aspiration to turn the Baltic Sea into its "internal lake" is unrealistic and asserted, “Russia will not allow this.” He reiterated during an interview on Russia 24 TV that efforts would be made to ensure “that our interests… in the Baltic Sea region are reliably protected,” particularly emphasizing the military aspect of these measures.
Regarding specific counteractions from Russia, Grushko explained that these would depend on the activities of NATO and its member states in the area.
He expressed skepticism about NATO's capability to control the region with the roughly ten vessels assigned to the Baltic Sentry mission, while highlighting the importance of monitoring the "rhetoric of our rivals" concerning their regional operations.
Moscow aspires for “the Baltic Sea to be a sea of cooperation, a sea of interaction, a sea through which trade is carried out via shipping routes that had been running for centuries,” Grushko noted.
Last year, Nikolay Patrushev, former head of the Russian Security Council and currently an aide to President Vladimir Putin, warned that “the West is seeking to deprive Russia of access to the Baltic Sea.” Patrushev indicated that NATO’s newest members, Sweden and Finland, are being leveraged in an effort to transform the sea into “the bloc’s ‘internal sea.’”
Frederick R Cook contributed to this report for TROIB News
In mid-January, NATO revealed the initiation of its Baltic Sentry mission, which is designed to patrol the Baltic Sea following the damage to significant underwater cables last year.
Grushko stated that the bloc’s aspiration to turn the Baltic Sea into its "internal lake" is unrealistic and asserted, “Russia will not allow this.” He reiterated during an interview on Russia 24 TV that efforts would be made to ensure “that our interests… in the Baltic Sea region are reliably protected,” particularly emphasizing the military aspect of these measures.
Regarding specific counteractions from Russia, Grushko explained that these would depend on the activities of NATO and its member states in the area.
He expressed skepticism about NATO's capability to control the region with the roughly ten vessels assigned to the Baltic Sentry mission, while highlighting the importance of monitoring the "rhetoric of our rivals" concerning their regional operations.
Moscow aspires for “the Baltic Sea to be a sea of cooperation, a sea of interaction, a sea through which trade is carried out via shipping routes that had been running for centuries,” Grushko noted.
Last year, Nikolay Patrushev, former head of the Russian Security Council and currently an aide to President Vladimir Putin, warned that “the West is seeking to deprive Russia of access to the Baltic Sea.” Patrushev indicated that NATO’s newest members, Sweden and Finland, are being leveraged in an effort to transform the sea into “the bloc’s ‘internal sea.’”
Frederick R Cook contributed to this report for TROIB News
