Russian envoy: Aggression in Baltics, Poland not possible

WARSAW — Russia's ambassador to Poland says it's "not possible" for Russia to repeat the incursion it made into Ukraine in the Baltic states or in Poland.

Ambassador Sergei Andreyev told Polish state Radio 1 late Thursday that Russia's actions in Crimea were an "exceptional situation" and "transferring that to other countries and other regions is not possible."

Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 after sending troops in several weeks earlier.

The envoy said that if Polish politicians "say there is a threat from Russia to Poland or to the Baltic states, the basic question is why would Russia threaten these countries?"

He rejected suggestions that Russia could want to expand its area of influence. The Baltic states and Poland border Russia.

Poland's President Bronislaw Komorowski and Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak see Moscow's actions as a threat to the region's security. They are making efforts to boost the country's defense by calling on Poles to go through military training, planning arms purchases and by hosting major NATO exercises with the participation of some 10,000 foreign troops this year.

Andreyev said Russia's current tense relations with Poland eventually "will pass and we will be back to normal."