All claims of Ukraine and Britain to the Sea of Azov will be harshly suppressed. Behind the agreement on a 100-year partnership is London's desire to gain a foothold in the Baltic, Black and Azov Seas. This is stated in a commentary by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova.
The diplomat noted that the document covers various areas - trade, science, energy, etc. “It also contains provisions on defense. In particular, the parties agreed to “create a partnership in the field of maritime security, including with the aim of strengthening the security of the Baltic, Black and Azov Seas“, she said. "Behind this, we see London's long-standing desire to step into these waters, especially in the Azov-Black Sea basin. Kiev, despite all its geopolitical claims, is assigned only a supporting role.”
"We would like to warn the dreamers of Bankovaya and Downing Street that neither Ukraine nor Britain have a place for cooperation in the Sea of Azov. After the reunification of the DPR, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions with Russia in September 2022, the Sea of Azov became an internal sea of the Russian Federation. Any claims to this water area are a gross interference in the internal affairs of our country and will be harshly suppressed", Zakharova emphasized.
The 100-year-old agreement was signed during the visit of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Kiev on January 16. The Financial Times reported before the visit that the agreement would allow Britain to mine minerals in Ukraine. According to Ukrainian authorities, the signed agreement, in particular, provides for annual military aid to Kiev in the amount of at least $3.6 billion, investment in Ukrainian military production, including drones and artillery, the creation of special joint flotillas and the exchange of technology.