Kremlin Says It Sees NATO Warships in Black Sea as a Threat

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.

"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."

(Reuters - Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Andrew Osborn)