MOSCOW, July 6. /TASS/. Polish President Andrzej Duda’s statement about the Baltic Sea turning into a NATO lake after the accession of Finland and Sweden was an act of incitement, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
"How many times over the years have we been subjected to harsh criticism and a media assault over allegations that Russia is engaged in provocative activities of this kind. However, the facts prove otherwise. Who can afford to make statements like that (made by the Polish president - TASS)? Only an instigator. This is a provocation in its purest form. Because people are starting to ask themselves: what’s behind these remarks, what they are based on, what’s the plan of action. And given the recent NATO summit, perhaps, some decisions could have been made that the Polish public is unaware of," Zakarova told the Sputnik radio station.
"It is particularly unacceptable at a time when a series of provocative actions by Western regimes have brought the world to the verge of a global crisis affecting almost all spheres of our life, and our planet," she added.
On Tuesday, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and his Swedish counterpart Ann Linde, along with the envoys of 30 NATO member states signed protocols on the two Nordic countries joining the bloc. Finland and Sweden will be able to enter NATO after all of the alliance’s members ratify the documents.