Russia has warned NATO that it would be prepared to use nuclear weapons if the Western alliance attempted to isolate Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea, according to a diplomatic document seen by Reuters.
In the document sent to NATO, Moscow accused the alliance of pursuing a “dangerous and reckless course” that it said carried a high risk of direct armed conflict.
Russia said this could include strikes against decision-making centres in NATO member states from the outset of any conflict. It also warned that it would use its full range of military capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to defend Kaliningrad if NATO countries attempted to cut it off from the rest of Russia.
Kaliningrad is a heavily militarised Russian territory located between NATO members Poland and Lithuania. Its position on the Baltic Sea has made it a major focus of security concerns between Moscow and the alliance.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte rejected Moscow’s warning, saying the alliance is defensive and calling Russia’s nuclear threats “absolutely not called for and not helpful”.
In its response to the Russian document, NATO said none of its exercises or activities posed a threat to Russian territory. The alliance also urged Moscow to end its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and stop what it described as increasingly reckless behaviour towards NATO members.
Asked whether there was a real risk of Russia using nuclear weapons against the Baltic states, Rutte said there was not.
“No, it’s not,” he told a defence conference in Brussels, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin knows Russia cannot defeat NATO.
Nikolai Sokov, a Vienna-based nuclear analyst and former Russian diplomat, said the warning reflected growing concerns in Moscow about Western military activity and support for Ukraine.
He said Russia could view actions aimed at restricting access to the Baltic Sea as an act of war even if Western governments considered them below the threshold of armed conflict.
Sokov warned of a risk of “mutual miscalculation” and said both sides needed caution.
The exchange comes as relations between Russia and European countries remain severely strained over the war in Ukraine, with Moscow and NATO continuing to accuse each other of escalating tensions.
A NATO diplomat described the Russian document as an attempt to intimidate European countries, while a senior European defence official called the warning serious.
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