On August 12 (Moscow time), according to TASS news agency, Polish President Karol Nawrocki rejected the view that the Baltic Sea has become an internal sea of NATO after Sweden and Finland joined the alliance.
Speaking at the launching ceremony of the new Wicher frigate of the Polish Navy in the city of Gdynia, Mr. Nawrocki said that the above name does not completely reflect reality.
Mr. Nawrocki's statement referred to the view expressed by some Polish politicians after Sweden and Finland joined NATO, that most of the Baltic coastal countries have become members of the alliance, making NATO dominant in this region.
Sweden and Finland previously maintained a non-military alliance policy. After Russia launched a military campaign in Ukraine, the two countries applied to join NATO. Finland officially became a NATO member in April 2023, while Sweden joined the alliance in March 2024.
After the accession of the two Nordic countries, NATO has members surrounding most of the Baltic Sea region. Baltic coastal NATO member states include Poland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Russia also has coastlines in this region, including the Kaliningrad region and the area around Saint Petersburg.
The Baltic Sea has an area of about 370,000 km2, connecting to the North Sea through the Danish Straits and is an important maritime route of Northern Europe.
In his latest statement, Mr. Nawrocki did not provide further details about his assessment, except that NATO's view of the Baltic Sea as an "internal sea" is not entirely accurate.
