LONDON

The British premier on Friday reaffirmed his commitment to security in Baltic Sea region and "ironclad support" for Ukraine, during a phone call with Finnish and Estonian leaders.

In a phone call, Keir Starmer and Finnish President Alexander Stubb discussed the subsea cable damage that took place on Christmas Day.


The British premier welcomed Finland’s response and praised the success of the operation.


"The two agreed to share findings on the source and intent of this incident and to work together with NATO Allies to prevent sabotage activity against undersea cables in future," Starmer's office said in a statement.

The Baltic Sea has been the scene of several high-profile infrastructure incidents since the onset of Russia's war on Ukraine in February 2022, which heightened tensions in the region.

Most recently, Finland reported that Eagle S tanker had been detained in connection with the subsea cable damage incident that occurred on Christmas Day.
  

Starmer, Michal voice concern over risk of oil spills

Separately, the British prime minister also called his Estonian counterpart Kristen Michal to discussed a number of issues, including the damage to subsea cables and Estonia’s response.

During the talk, he underscored the UK’s commitment to security in the Baltic Sea region.


"On a related point, they raised concerns about the potential environmental impact of the Russian Shadow Fleet and the risk of oil spills," the UK prime minister's office said, adding the leaders agreed upon the importance of continued collaboration.

The two also discussed their commitment to ensure that Ukraine is in the "strongest possible position" and reaffirmed their commitment to the country’s future membership of NATO.

"They also reflected on ambitions for an even stronger relationship through the UK’s reset with the EU," the statement added.