WorthyNews: NATO to Bolster Military Presence in Baltic Sea

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By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

BRUSSELS/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – The NATO chief announced Friday that the military alliance would strengthen its presence in the Baltic Sea following Russia’s suspected sabotage of an undersea power cable between Finland and Estonia.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte confirmed the move on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, emphasizing the alliance’s “commitment to regional security.”

Rutte added he had spoken with Finnish President Alexander Stubb to discuss the ongoing investigation into the damaged cable.

During their talks, Rutte expressed NATO’s “full solidarity and support” for Finland in addressing the situation. “NATO will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea,” he stressed.

On Friday, Stubb announced that Finland and Estonia had jointly decided to need an enhanced NATO presence in the Baltic region. He said the military presence would improve critical infrastructure protection and enforce European measures against Russia’s shadow fleet.

The Estlink 2 power cable was damaged on Wednesday, with the Russian ship Eagle S. emerging as a prime suspect.

As more details about the incident emerged, Estonia said Friday it had launched a naval operation to safeguard another vital power connection, the Estlink 1 cable.

FINNISH FORCES

Stubb said the Eagle S. might have caused “even greater damage had it not been intercepted by Finnish forces.”

Finland is currently investigating the tanker. Stubb pledged that “if the probe confirms sabotage and identifies a state actor as responsible,” Finland will “immediately” disclose the findings.

Separately, the European Union announced Friday it was preparing additional sanctions against Russia in response to the recent damage to international power and data cables in the Baltic Sea.

The EU’s executive commission said these measures aim “to specifically target Russia’s shadow fleet,” a network of vessels allegedly used to evade existing sanctions.

The Commission said the Russian oil tanker allegedly involved in sabotaging an electricity cable between Finland and Estonia is part of Russia’s shadow fleet, which “threatens safety and the environment while simultaneously funding Russia’s war budget.”

In a joint statement, the European Commission and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas condemned the shadow fleet as a growing risk. “We will propose additional measures, including sanctions, to dismantle this fleet,” they declared.

The proposed sanctions are designed to tighten economic pressure on Moscow and disrupt the operations of the shadow fleet, which often uses flags from other nations to obscure its ties to Russia, the EU said.

MORE SANCTIONS

With more EU sanctions underway and NATO expanding its presence in the Baltic Sea, Moscow prepared for a response that was due to involve energy supplies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has already warned that Russia and Ukraine will not finalize a new natural gas transit agreement for European supplies before the end of the year, warning that “Gas prices in Europe will rise again.”

“There is no contract, and it’s impossible to finalize one in three or four days,” Putin warned in televised remarks.

Worthy News learned that the current natural gas transit agreement, signed in 2019, will expire at the end of December.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that his country would stop transporting Russian natural gas unless guarantees are provided the Kremlin “will not profit” from it financially while waging war against his nation.

The move means nations such as the Czech Republic, Austria, and Slovakia will no longer receive pipeline gas from Russia and must turn to more expensive liquefied natural gas.

Although the affected supply represents a small portion of Europe’s total natural gas needs, the disruption has already pushed prices higher in an energy market that remains on edge.

NATURAL GAS

Putin claimed that Russia “is ready” to supply natural gas to Europe through the Yamal pipeline in Poland.

However, Poland terminated its transit agreement for the pipeline in 2022, effectively closing this route for now.

Hungary, heavily dependent on Russian energy supplies, has condemned what it views as Brussels’ war-mongering.

The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán supports U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump’s declared attempt to reach an “immediate ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine.

Orbán says he seeks to end a war that is believed to have killed hundreds of thousands of people since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

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