The Kremlin said today that Russia will consider any plans to establish a permanent presence of warships in NATO in the Black Sea for a threat, given the alliance's participation in the conflict in Ukraine, reported Reuters and TASS, quoted by BTA.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia is ready to take all necessary measures to ensure its security.
"Of course, the concentrated presence of NATO warships – we take into account Bulgaria and Romania, the coastal countries that are members of the alliance – represents, especially in the current situation, an additional threat to Russia," Peskov told reporters.
"Russia will take all necessary measures to ensure its security," he added.
Peskov said this while commenting on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's decree implementing a decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine regarding the country's maritime security strategy. The main objectives of the strategy include building up Ukraine's naval forces and ensuring a permanent presence of NATO forces in the Black Sea.
According to Zelensky, the war has changed the balance of power in the Black Sea region and the Russian fleet will no longer dominate there, the Ukrainian news agency UNIAN points out. Zelensky added that the strategy will consolidate Ukrainian interests, take into account new technological opportunities and relations with the country's partners.
"Now Ukraine will always be a country that is capable of protecting its own interests in the sea, transport arteries and the interests of our allies and partners,'' Peskov said, adding that the promise of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's call for a "genuine European Defense Union" demonstrates the mood in Europe for militarization and confrontation. Von der Leyen said that part of its efforts will also include leading air defense and cyber defense projects.