“One would like to remain hopeful, but for now, the Europeans are following a suicidal policy. A prime example is the Baltic Sea, which, for many reasons, had always been the most pacific region in military terms,” ​​Grushko stated in an interview with the news agency Sputnik.

The diplomat noted that one of the primary reasons for this was the absence of territorial disputes or “frozen” conflicts.

“There were some friction points along the borders, so to speak. The geography is quite complex: the Kaliningrad exclave, the three small Baltic states—it forms a sort of salient reaching toward Russian territory, which is highly vulnerable from a military standpoint,” he added.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova previously stated that NATO allies are conducting aggressive military exercises near the Russian border, practicing offensive scenarios—including a potential blockade of Kaliningrad and the isolation of Baltic ports.

In recent years, Moscow has denounced unprecedented activity by NATO member states near its western borders—maneuvers that the Atlantic Alliance justifies as a means of “containing Russian aggression.”

Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern over the buildup of NATO forces in Europe. The Kremlin has asserted that while Russia poses no threat to anyone, it will not overlook such potentially dangerous activities.

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