WARSAW: Poland Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Wednesday proposed a Baltic Sea policing mission to protect infrastructure after two Baltic Sea cables were cut last week.
Sections of two telecom cables were cut on November 17 and 18 in Swedish territorial waters of the Baltic Sea.
Swedish and Finnish police have started a probe of the incident and European officials have suspected Russian involvement in the sabotage.
The Kremlin had rejected as “absurd” and “laughable” suggestions it was involved in the cutting of telecommunications cables running under the Baltic Sea. “It’s quite absurd to keep blaming Russia for everything without any grounds. It is laughable in the context of the lack of any reaction to Ukraine’s sabotage activities in the Baltic Sea,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Donald Tusk at a press conference alongside his counterparts from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway and Sweden said they share the assessment of the security situation, including concern for critical infrastructure and strategic resources along the Baltic Sea.
ALSO READ: Israel Conducts Deadly Strikes on Syria as Lebanon Truce Begins
“We need new tools and ambitious means to counter threats. This is why I propose today to create a Baltic Sea policing mission,” he added.
According to ship tracking sites a Chinese ship, named Yi Peng 3 sailed over the cables around the time they were cut.
China’s foreign ministry has denied any involvement in the matter.
In September 2022, a series of underwater blasts damaged the Nord Stream pipelines that carried Russian gas to Europe. In October 2023, an undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was shut down after it was damaged by the anchor of a Chinese cargo ship.
