Peskov Says Poland, Baltics Erred by Turning Against Russia

(MENAFN) Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov argued that Poland and the Baltic countries committed a “big mistake” by historically portraying Russia as an enemy instead of pursuing cooperation that could have delivered shared advantages.

Speaking in an interview on Tuesday with Kremlin pool journalist Aleksandr Unashev, Peskov acknowledged that Moscow faces serious strains with these neighbors, noting that Russia “really does have problems” in its relations with Poland and the Baltic states.

“We really do have problems with Poland. We really do have problems with the Baltics… everyone who comes to power there begins to hate Russia and Russians with a passion,” he said. “Is this a mistake? A big mistake. Because these countries could learn a lot from Russian culture and interaction with Russia.”

Ties between Moscow and the governments in Warsaw, Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius have sharply deteriorated following the intensification of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Poland borders Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, while Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania all share frontiers with Russian territory.

Earlier this month, Polish authorities declared their intention to leave the Ottawa Convention, a global agreement prohibiting anti-personnel landmines, and to significantly increase production of such weapons in order to fortify the frontier against a possible confrontation with Russia.

The three Baltic states completed their own withdrawals from the treaty in December, justifying the decision by pointing to what they described as a looming threat posed by Russia.

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