Answer:
B. seek access to warm-water ports
Step-by-step explanation:
Russian rulers such as Peter the Great sought out warm-water ports in the Baltic Sea.
Russian Geography
Russia has varying topographies and climates due to the size of the country. However, the largest portion of Russia by area, Siberia, is frigid and rugged. The oceans and water around Siberia are frozen during the winter. This means that the northern bodies of water were unusable for half of the year.
Importance of Warm-Water Ports
As the world developed, the global economy grew and become more connected. If a country could not trade for half the year, its economy would suffer. So, Russia, a country known for cold regions, had to find warm-water ports to the west. This is part of the reason Peter the Great cared so much about creating cities in the West and Westernization.
Russia had to seek out these ports and find warm bodies of water they could trade in because the climate in the northeast was too cold during the winter.