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Updated March 5th, 2022 at 10:38 IST

Russia calls CBSS move to suspend its membership from bloc 'hostile' amid Ukraine war

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that it considers the Western decision to suspend Russia's work in the Council of the Baltic Sea States as a hostile step.

Reported by: Vishnu V V
Russia
Image: AP | Image:self
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The members of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) on Friday announced their decision to suspend Russia from the council in response to the ‘unprovoked’ war against Ukraine. Following this, the Russian Foreign Ministry has now come forward to claim that the decision to suspend Russia's work in the CBSS is a hostile step. The foreign ministry based in Moscow said that the decision runs contrary to the spirit of Baltic cooperation and the council’s legal foundations.  

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that it considers the Western decision to suspend Russia's work in the CBSS as a hostile step. “Moscow considers the West's decision to suspend Russia's work in the Council of the Baltic Sea States in connection with the situation in Ukraine as a hostile move,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement. “We regard this demarche as a hostile step that runs counter to the spirit of Baltic cooperation and the legal foundations of the work of the Council,” the statement on the foreign ministry's Telegram channel as cited by international reports read.

Earlier on Friday, the members of the CBSS that includes Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the European Union decided to suspend Russia from further participation in the Council’s activities. They termed Moscow’s war on Ukraine unprovoked and illegal. Earlier Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had appealed to the European countries to strengthen sanctions against Russia for its continued attacks on Ukraine.

Zelenskyy accuses NATO of 'greenlighting' bombing of Ukraine

After NATO turned down his request to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine on Friday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy came down heavily on the 30-member alliance. The war-hit nation was pitching for the imposition of the no-fly zone to prevent Russia from invading its airspace and launching attacks. In a late-night address, Zelenskyy claimed that NATO had greenlighted the bombing of his country by its refusal to close the airspace. Holding NATO responsible for every new death that will take place in Ukraine as a result of Russia's shelling, he contended that the international alliance lacked confidence. 

Russia Ukraine War

On February 24, Russia launched special military operations in Ukraine, three days after Moscow recognised Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities. Russia's Defence Ministry has reiterated that they are not launching any strikes on residential areas and are only targeting military infrastructure. However, visuals accessed by Republic Media Network's team on the ground speak in contrast to Moscow's stance. Following the attack, several sanctions have been imposed on Russia by the West including the US, UK and Germany.

Image: AP

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Published March 5th, 2022 at 10:38 IST

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