BRUSSELS, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Russia has warned NATO it would be ready to resort to nuclear weapons if the Western alliance attempted to cut off Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave that borders the Baltic Sea.
In a document sent to NATO and seen by Reuters, Moscow accused the alliance of a "dangerous and reckless course" that entailed "high risks of the outbreak of a direct armed conflict".
The document said this included the possibility of "Russian strikes against decision-making centers in the alliance's member states right from the outset".
"Russia will be ready to use the entire arsenal of forces and capabilities at its disposal, including nuclear weapons, in order to defend its territory should NATO countries undertake any attempt aimed at isolating the Kaliningrad Region from the rest of the country," the diplomatic note said.
The warning highlighted Moscow's urgent concern at what it sees as a growing NATO threat to Kaliningrad, a heavily militarised Russian territory that is wedged between Poland and Lithuania and is slightly bigger than the US state of Connecticut.
In a written response, seen by Reuters, NATO said it was a defensive alliance committed to countering threats to its members from all directions.
"None of NATO's exercises or activities pose a threat to the territory of the Russian Federation," it said.
"We call upon the Russian Federation to end its unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We urge the Russian Federation to refrain from increasingly reckless behaviour towards the Allies and to cease its irresponsible nuclear rhetoric."
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