Polish premier proposes Baltic Sea 'policing mission' to protect infrastructure

ANKARA

Poland on Wednesday proposed creating a “Baltic Sea policing mission” in the region to protect the infrastructure.

“The Baltic Sea region has become an arena of reaching geopolitical changes, the war has entirely transformed the reality of our region and the whole of Europe,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk told a joint news conference following the Harpsund Summit in Sweden.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson hosted the prime ministers of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Poland, and the Latvian foreign minister.

Tusk said the Nordic and Baltic countries are Poland’s “closest partners and allies, especially in the context of defense and security.

“We need new tools and ambitious means to counter threats. This is why I proposed today to create a Baltic Sea policing mission in the Baltic Sea. I am really happy that my colleagues found it interesting, and we will continue our work on some details,” Tusk explained.

Support for Ukraine

After more than a thousand days of Russia's war on Ukraine, which began in February 2022, Swedish Premier Kristersson hailed the Nordic, Baltic, and Polish contributions of military assistance to Kyiv and vowed continued support.

“The Russian economy is sinking deeper into an unsustainable imbalance between escalating war expenditures and starving the rest of the economy, and their economic reserves will not last forever. We have today reaffirmed our determination to shoulder our part of the responsibility for the Euro-Atlantic security,” he added.

Tusk, for his part, noted that the Ukrainians “by resisting Russia, are making the rest of us safer and the scenario for a catastrophe less likely.”

The Polish premier described European countries’ support for Ukraine as “very egoistic and very rational, very pragmatic,” not only done for the sake of values such as independence and freedom but for European interests.

“Independent Ukraine means safer Poland, safer Sweden, Norway, Europe, and the whole West,” he said.

Tusk also warned against “the illusion that agreeing to Russian conditions of a cease-fire, such as neutral Ukraine, demilitarized, accepting the hitherto annexation of Ukrainian territory would stabilize the situation in the whole region, and prevent us from the threat of World War III, quite the opposite.”

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said Europe “cannot make any concession to” its support for Ukraine.

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen backed those ideas, and stressed the need for “a much stronger Europe and a much stronger EU.”

“In a world with North Korean soldiers in Europe with more and more close ties between Russia, North Korea, Iran, and unfortunately also China, we have to maintain a very close cooperation with us,” she emphasized.

Responding to a question about potential shifts in Washington's Ukraine policy under Donald Trump's upcoming second presidency, Tusk stressed the importance of rebuilding "Europe again, smart and self-sufficient, and ready to replace at least a part of American support for Ukraine."

Having opposing views about the president-elect is "normal," and Europe requires a more "European approach," since "no one will replace Europe" in its first and most important duty, "security."

Europe is strong enough, and it should not be afraid or consider "how to capitulate, or how to sell Ukrainians' interests against Russia," the Polish prime minister added.

French President Emmanuel Macron also took part in the meeting via videoconference, the Swedish premier said.