Kremlin says it sees ‘concentrated presence’ of NATO warships in Black Sea as a threat to Russia

MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Thursday that Russia would consider any plans to establish a permanent presence of NATO warships in the Black Sea as a threat, given the alliance’s involvement in the Ukraine conflict.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the remark when asked by reporters on a conference call about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s new maritime security strategy.

Zelenskiy has spoken about the need to ensure that the Russian Navy does not dominate the Black Sea.

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“Of course, the concentrated presence of NATO ships - we are paying attention to Bulgaria and Romania, the coastal states that are members of the (NATO) alliance - of course this represents, especially in the current situation, an additional threat to Russia,” Peskov told reporters.

“Of course, Russia will take all necessary measures to ensure its own security.”