International security

Russia proposes to Baltic states to discuss interaction with NATO — Defense Ministry

Russia’s Defense Ministry has proposed to its counterparts from the Baltic states to discuss both the use of transponders by combat aircraft and interaction with NATO, Head of the Defense Ministry’s Main Directorate for International Military Cooperation Sergei Koshelev said on Friday.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said earlier that the flights by NATO’s and Russia’s warplanes over the Baltic Sea with switched-on transponders wouldn’t improve security in the region. As Koshelev said, the Russian Defense Ministry drew attention to the fact that Linkevicius "highlighted only one element of the Russian initiative on reducing tension in the Baltics."

"Aside from the issue of transponders, the Russian Defense Ministry is proposing to discuss a wide range of issues, from interaction with NATO to the joint response to common challenges and threats," Koshelev said.