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Shkruar nga Pamfleti
NATO will increase its military presence in the Baltic Sea, following a suspected act of sabotage this week that damaged underwater electrical and telecommunications cables.
Following acts of sabotage suspected of being hidden by Russia, Estonia announced the launch of a major naval operation to protect an important power line in coordination with allies.
On Thursday, Finalnda seized a ship carrying Russian oil on suspicion of cutting the undersea electric cable connecting it to Estonia, Estlink 2, and damaging a number of optical fibers.
Meanwhile, on Friday, official Helsinki said it had asked the transatlantic military alliance for help. The Baltic states are on high alert as a number of undersea power cables, telecommunications links and gas pipelines have been targeted by acts of sabotage since Russia launched its war in Ukraine in 2022.
For this, the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, declared on the social platform X that NATO will strengthen the military presence in the Baltic Sea, without giving further details.
Rutte weeks ago warned that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, wants to "wipe Ukraine off the map" and may teach other parts of Europe then.
For this reason, he called on Europeans to pressure their governments to increase defense spending.
"The time has come to have a war mentality," Rutte told security experts and analysts at the Carnegie Europe organization in Brussels. He stressed that people should be prepared for the possibility that Russia tries to use "swarms of drones" in Europe, as it is doing with deadly effect in Ukraine.
Putin "is trying to destroy our freedom and our way of life," Rutte said.
During his speech, the former Prime Minister of the Netherlands mentioned Russia's attacks on Georgia in 2008, the annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula, Crimea, in 2014, as well as the full occupation of Ukraine that began almost three years ago.
"Do we need more warnings? We should be deeply concerned. I know I am," said Rutte.
NATO is a big supporter of Ukraine and has helped most of its members send arms, ammunition and other aid to Ukraine. But Trump's return and his promise to end the war quickly has raised concerns that an unfavorable ceasefire could be imposed on Ukraine.
Trump regularly complains that US NATO allies don't spend enough on defense. Rutte said Russia's military spending is likely to reach 7 to 8% of its GDP next year — far more than any ally. of NATO – with its defense industry producing tanks, armored vehicles and ammunition.
Beyond increased defense spending in Europe, Rutte emphasized that NATO now has tens of thousands of troops on high alert, in case they are needed to defend the allies' territory.
“With all that, our defense is good – for now. But what worries me is tomorrow", he said and warned that "we are not ready for what awaits us in four to five years. The danger is approaching us at full speed".
"What is happening in Ukraine can happen here, and regardless of the outcome of this war, we will not be safe in the future if we are not prepared to face the risk," Rutte added.
Rutte called on governments to provide defense industries with "the large orders and long-term contracts they need to quickly produce more weapons and better weapons".
He urged industries to increase production of defensive weapons against drones and other new combat tactics.
He added that "freedom does not come for free" for about 1 billion people living in the Euro-Atlantic area./ Pamphlet
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