“The security situation in the Baltic Sea, the High North and the North Atlantic regions remains tense, and Russia’s military threat cannot be underestimated, despite its huge losses in Ukraine,” Gitanas Nausėda underlined.
“The idea that our region has become safer because Russia is focusing all its military resources on its war against Ukraine does not reflect the truth and is misleading. The threat from Russia remains, and in assessing the security situation we must continuously consider the further military integration of Russia and Belarus, which is a particularly important factor in determining our security,” the Lithuanian leader added.
President Gitanas Nausėda stressed that Sweden and Finland’s full membership in NATO, which is expected at the NATO Summit in Vilnius in July 2023, would undoubtedly strengthen the security situation in the Baltic Sea region, however, would not solve all the security issues in the Baltic Sea region by itself. Therefore, implementing the decisions of the Madrid Summit, strengthening NATO’s forward defense in the Baltic region, and increasing its air defense capabilities constitute the most effective means of deterring Russia.
According to Gitanas Nausėda, the JEF, which operates in close coordination and complementarity with NATO’s efforts, is an important factor for security and stability in Northern Europe and the Baltic region. The President underscored that today there was a need for even greater military cooperation between the JEF nations, in particular for joint exercises in the Baltic Sea and the High North regions.
The Lithuanian leader called on the JEF countries to continue to provide all necessary practical assistance to Ukraine, both military and humanitarian, and to consolidate their efforts in political support for Ukraine in its pursuit of Euro-Atlantic integration objectives.
The JEF Summit also focused on hybrid threats and critical infrastructure protection.
“The explosions in the Nord Stream pipeline have shown that even the deepest seabed is no longer a safe place, and we need to strengthen our cooperation in protecting underwater data cables and other critical infrastructure of strategic importance,” Gitanas Nausėda pointed out.
The UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force, which was established in 2012, is currently made up of ten Northern European countries. The force is designed to operate across land, air and sea.
