rki.news | Sources Anadolu
GENEVA — Russia has warned it would respond to any action threatening its sovereignty or targeting civilians in Kaliningrad, a senior Russian diplomat said Thursday amid tensions between Moscow and NATO.
Rodion Miroshnik, an ambassador-at-large at Russia’s Foreign Ministry, told reporters that any threat to Russian sovereignty or civilian population, including in Kaliningrad, would receive a response aimed at protecting the country and its people. He described any action threatening sovereignty as warranting a “rigid response.”
Asked whether a possible blockade of Kaliningrad would cross such a red line, Miroshnik said the region would receive the same protection as any other part of Russia.
The comments follow earlier Russian warnings that a blockade or military action against Kaliningrad could trigger a response using all available means, including nuclear weapons. Kaliningrad is a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea between NATO members Poland and Lithuania.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said the alliance is prepared to defend its territory and rejected the suggestion of an imminent nuclear threat to the Baltic region.
Separately, Miroshnik said Russia hopes the next UN secretary-general will take a different approach from Antonio Guterres, whose second term ends Dec. 31.
Russia Warns of Firm Response Over Kaliningrad Threats
