"Our Defense Ministry has proposed to hold consultations on a whole range of issues related to military aviation flights and overall military activity over the Baltic Sea. We were ready for a serious non-politicized conversation at the level of military experts. Unfortunately, the NATO countries collectively, and some individually, refused to hold such consultations," Grushko told journalists.
Late in October, Grushko expressed concern over NATO refusal to hold a bilateral meeting of military experts in Moscow on security in the Baltic Sea region.
The Baltic States constantly accuse Russia of what they regard as violations of their airspace. On Monday, the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense said that NATO planes had intercepted Russian aircraft breaching Lithuanian airspace four times last week.
The Russian Defense Ministry has regularly stated that its flights are carried out in strict accordance with international regulations on the use of airspace over neutral waters.
