He also claimed Poland plans to deploy millions of anti-tank mines near Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave borders. “Poland and the Baltic republics are particularly aggressive, at least in words, they are constantly rattling their weapons. Poland has gone so far as to announce its plans to install about two million anti-tank mines along the borders of Belarus and the Kaliningrad region and would also like to receive American nuclear weapons. This is sad,” he said.
His comments provide support to concerns that if Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine succeeds, it will shift its attention to Europe’s former Eastern Bloc countries.
Naryshkin further blamed increased NATO military activity near Russian and Belarusian borders for “the current major, very dangerous crisis on the European continent.”“They should understand, although they do not yet understand, that in the event of aggression from the North Atlantic Alliance against the Union State, damage will certainly be inflicted on the entire NATO bloc, but to a greater extent the first to suffer will be the bearers of such ideas among the political circles of Poland and the Baltic countries,” he added.
Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that France could expand its nuclear umbrella to include European allies. Polish President Andrzej Duda said that such a step would be “beneficial for Polish security.”
Poland and the Baltic States also announced their withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention, an international convention that prohibits the use of landmines, amid fear of a resurgence of Russian aggression.
Naryshkin further claimed that Russia’s goals for ending the Ukrainian conflict include Ukraine’s non-nuclear, neutral status, demilitarisation and denazification and Kyiv’s acknowledgement of Russia’s current borders, RIA Novosti reported.
He stressed that Ukraine must unconditionally acknowledge Russia’s sovereignty as well as the Russian Federation’s current territorial borders.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
