Lithuanian PM calls for appropriate EU, NATO response to Baltic Sea incidents

VILNIUS - EU and NATO countries must respond appropriately to incidents in the Baltic Sea if investigations reveal they are hybrid attacks, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said after meeting with her Latvian and Estonian counterparts on Friday.

"We agreed that, in the face of intensifying hybrid aggression and kinetic attacks by unfriendly states in our region, we must stay calm but also remain alert and vigilant, ready for a firm joint response," Simonyte said at a press conference.

"Last week's cable breaches in the Baltic Sea only highlight the importance of coordination among the Baltic Sea countries," she added.

Lithuania, Sweden, and Finland have launched preliminary investigations into the incidents in the Baltic Sea.

"Depending on their results, the EU and NATO allies must respond appropriately to malicious acts by applying restrictive measures," said Simonyte.

The Lithuanian prime minister emphasized that now is a good time to "raise concerns and set a price for such actions", as failing to do so could lead to an escalation.

Last year, the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Estonia and Finland was damaged. Suspicion for the pipeline damage has fallen on a Chinese vessel, as an anchor believed to belong to it was found at the incident site.

"For us, one lesson learned from that was having this kind of agreement between Estonia and Finland, which I would recommend for the Baltic states too," Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said at the press conference in Vilnius.

"I talked to Ingrida and Evika today, and in the future, we should have this kind of overview of what each Baltic state can do in certain aspects. The ability to repair everything that has been damaged is very critical under certain conditions," he said.

According to Michal, Baltic and Nordic officials will meet in Sweden next week to discuss surveillance systems in the Baltic Sea.

Such systems would help identify "what is happening and where, who is moving where, and where the fault is located, as the causes may sometimes be natural", the Estonian prime minister said.

"But in the case of Balticconnector, it's a different situation: where is the fault, and how to repair it?" he added.

Simonyte noted maintaining infrastructure and ensuring legal accountability in international waters is more challenging, which is why it is important to have an effective mechanism for resolving disruptions as quickly as possible.

Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina said that highlighting incidents in the Baltic Sea at international forums makes it possible to raise the issue of imposing sanctions against Russia's shadow fleet.

Lithuania's telecoms company Telia Lietuva said on Tuesday that one of the three undersea communication cables between Sweden and Lithuania was damaged on Sunday morning.

This information was later confirmed by officials in Stockholm.

On Monday, Finland's operator Cinia said that a cable connecting Helsinki and the German port of Rostock had been cut for unknown reasons.

Politicians from Lithuania's ruling majority suspect the incidents may be linked to Russian sabotage.

This week also saw reports of a planned terrorist attack in Lithuania's northern city of Siauliai. Two Spanish nationals allegedly arrived in Lithuania with the intention of setting fire to production facilities, outdoor equipment, and other items used by a privately owned company during the night.

In recent months, European countries have seen an increase in incidents linked to hybrid attacks from Russia, including a fire at an Ikea store in Vilnius and incendiary parcels sent from Lithuania to Germany and the United Kingdom.

In Lithuania, "more than ten" investigations into such incidents are underway, according to Prosecutor General Nida Grunskiene.