The President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, and the Prime Minister of Estonia, Kristen Michal, will co-chair a summit in Helsinki, bringing together NATO officials and neighboring states.
The Eagle S, flying the flag of the Cook Islands, is suspected of having damaged an electric cable and four telecommunications cables on December 25 (Lehtikuva / JUSSI NUKARI)
Finland will organize a summit of NATO countries bordering the Baltic Sea on Tuesday, January 14 in Helsinki, in response to the alleged sabotage of several submarine cables in this area where the Alliance will strengthen its military presence against Russia.
“Discussions will focus on strengthening NATO’s presence in the Baltic Sea and responding to the threat posed by the Russian ghost fleet,” detailed the Finnish presidency in a press release.
Suspicious old ships
An oil tanker, the Eagle S, suspected of belonging to this fleet, is accused of having damaged an electrical cable and four telecommunications cables linking Finland to Estonia on December 25. The “ghost fleet” is a term that refers to ships that are often aging, poorly insured and operated under foreign flags, which Russia is accused of using to circumvent Western sanctions by transporting its oil under embargo.
These degradations are part, according to experts and political leaders, in the context of a “hybrid war” led by Moscow against Western countries in this vast maritime area.
The January 14 meeting will also focus on “necessary measures to ensure the security of critical underwater infrastructure,” added the statement from the office of Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
The head of the Atlantic Alliance Mark Rutte, the leaders of Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden as well as the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Henna Virkkunen were invited by Helsinki. The President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, and the Prime Minister of Estonia, Kristen Michal, will co-chair the summit.
NATO announced at the end of December to strengthen its military presence in the Baltic Sea, followed by the European Union which for its part put in place measures to protect submarine cables and improve the exchange of information between member countries. The Baltic has been the scene, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, of several incidents of this type and the neighboring NATO countries are preparing for a long period of conflict with Moscow.
