European Centre for Counterterrorism and Intelligence Studies, Germany & Netherlands – ECCI
Baltics Sea region PMs meet to discuss regional security ahead of Trump’s return
euractiv – The summit comes at a pivotal time for Europe, which is facing major strategic uncertainties, particularly over support for Ukraine.
Prime ministers from the Baltic Sea region will meet in Stockholm on Wednesday and Thursday for a summit on security in the region, which has been in turmoil since the cutting of strategic undersea cables last week.
The prime ministers of the Baltic and Nordic countries, as well as Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, accepted an invitation from Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to meet and discuss current geopolitical issues ahead of a second incoming Trump presidency.
“We will discuss the defence of Ukraine, but also the defence of our own countries and our common continued security policy strategy in this increasingly uncertain world”, Kristersson said in a recorded speech last week.
The summit comes at a pivotal time for Europe, which is facing major strategic uncertainties, particularly over support for Ukraine.
President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House is causing unease among European leaders, especially given his openly stated intention to end the war in Ukraine through negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin – which has not pleased everyone – and his criticism of NATO allies’ military spending.
“When the wind is blowing hard in the world, it is important to keep an open mind and not jump to conclusions, but also to prepare well”, Kristersson said at a press conference on Tuesday (26 November).
He added that during his conversation with Trump on Monday, he spoke specifically about support for Ukraine, but also about issues of joint cooperation.
Since Trump’s re-election, European leaders have been meeting more regularly to coordinate on key strategic issues – including meetings between the representatives of Germany, France, Italy, the UK and Poland, in a format known as the E5.
The latest iteration of this format took place on Monday, when the E5 defence ministers met in Berlin to discuss military support for Ukraine, advancing European defence initiatives, and responding to growing global instability.
Although the summit in Sweden is not part of the E5 format, it is part of this European pre-Trump diplomatic scramble and was already announced by Tusk a few days after the Republican candidate’s victory.
According to Kristersson, the heads of government of Italy, the UK, France and Germany agree that Europe needs more autonomy when it comes to security matters.
“We are basically in complete agreement: we in Europe must take greater responsibility for our own security. In the long run, the US cannot be expected to pay for the defence costs of the European NATO countries” Kristersson said.
The Cable’s Case
The summit, which will focus in part on regional security issues, is particularly timely in a region where two undersea cables were cut last week.
Two submarine cables – one between Finland and Germany and one between Sweden and Lithuania – were damaged in the Baltic Sea in Sweden’s exclusive economic zone last Wednesday (20 November).
The main suspect is a Chinese freight ship, the Yi Peng 3, which is currently stationed and guarded by the Danish navy in the Kattegat Strait.
Finland and Sweden announced plans last week to set up a joint team to investigate the damage to the cables, and Swedish prosecutors have already opened a preliminary investigation into suspicions of possible sabotage.
But the Swedish authorities remain cautious.
“The government is not conducting any criminal investigations and is not throwing accusations around, we have been careful about that”, Kristersson told a press conference on Tuesday (26 November).
He added that the Swedish government had been in contact with China about the ship and had expressed its wish for it to enter Swedish waters to continue the investigation.
Beijing has not responded to the Swedish government’s request, but Kristersson hopes to establish cooperation.
“China has generally stated that it is happy to cooperate on such issues. So we are hopeful and expect it to be resolved” Kristersson said.
