The leaders of the sea region Baltic reacted cautiously Wednesday to reports that Russia could review the limits of its territorial waters in the area, and the Foreign Minister of Lithuania He said this is a “clear escalation” that must receive an “appropriately strong response.”
In the draft proposal reported by several Russian media, the Ministry of Defense suggests updating the coordinates used to measure the strip of territorial waters from its continental coast and that of its islands in the Baltic. The current ones were approved in 1985, according to the ministry, which noted that “they are based on small-scale nautical navigation maps” and do not correspond to the “modern geographical situation.”
The document did not clarify whether the proposed changes would move the border or clarify it.
The Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, said that Moscow once signed a United Nations convention that regulates how these types of changes are made. “Both we and Finland assume that Russia – which is a signatory party to that convention – fulfills that responsibility,” she said, according to the Swedish news agency. TT.
If the Russians challenge the borders, “then Russia violates a UN convention, then Russia will have the whole world against it,” said the Finnish Foreign Minister. Elina Valtonen, according to Finnish television YLE. However, he added that this was probably a routine act and not a provocation.
For his part, the president of Finland, Alexander Stubb, wrote on the social network X that Moscow has not contacted his country about it. “Finland acts as always: calmly and based on the facts,” she said.
Also in X, the Foreign Minister of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis, said the Kremlin was “trying to sow fear, uncertainty and doubt about its intentions in the Baltic Sea.” The latest advances by Russian troops in northeastern Ukraine have generated great concern in Lithuania.
According to a report from Baltic News ServiceLithuania summoned the Russian diplomatic representative in the country to ask for detailed explanations.
But the Russian news agency Interface cIt was later Wednesday to an unnamed military diplomatic source who stated that Moscow has no intention of checking the border nor the width of its territorial waters.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that in the Defense Ministry’s proposal There was “nothing political.”
“You see how tensions and the level of confrontation are increasing, especially in the Baltic region. “This requires appropriate measures by our competent bodies to guarantee our safety,” the spokesperson said.
Since Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Finland and Sweden have entered the NATO. The Baltic Sea, which provides maritime access to the city of St. Petersburg and the enclave of Kaliningrad, is practically surrounded by members of the military alliance.
Kaliningrad is located between Lithuania to the north and east and Poland to the south. It is the headquarters of the Russian Baltic Fleet.
(With information from AP)
