Russia says it will counter any UK-Ukraine cooperation in Sea of Azov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday Ukraine and Britain "had no room" for cooperation in the Sea of Azov, commenting on a new 100-year partnership agreement between Kyiv and London the two countries' leaders announced on Thursday.

The Kremlin said on Friday that any placement of British military assets in Ukraine under the new agreement would be of concern to Moscow, in particular in the Sea of Azov, which Russia considers its own, and the ministry echoed those remarks.

"Any claims to this water area are a gross interference in the internal affairs of our country and will be firmly resisted," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a comment posted on the ministry's website.

The Azov Sea is bordered by southwest Russia, parts of southern Ukraine that Russia has seized in the war, and the Crimean peninsula that Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Zakharova said the agreement itself was "worthless" for Russia, calling it "just another PR campaign" of Ukraine. Zakharova described the Sea of Azov as Russia's "internal sea".

British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer pledged on Thursday to work with Ukraine and allies on robust security guarantees if a ceasefire is negotiated with Russia, offering more support to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy with a 100-year partnership deal.

The agreement, announced in Kyiv during Starmer's first visit as prime minister, covered several areas, including boosting military cooperation to strengthen security in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea and Sea of Azov.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)

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