Additional Coverage:
- Baltic Sea nations react warily to a reported Russian proposal to revise its maritime border (newsbreak.com)
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen was pictured at a news conference close to the Vaalimaa boundary checkpoint with Russia in Virolahti, Finland, on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. As the conflict in Ukraine increasingly leans towards Russia’s advantage, nations along the Baltic Sea’s front lines, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, and Poland, are strengthening their borders.
From COPENHAGEN, Denmark, there arises apprehension among Baltic Sea nations following speculative reports that Russia might modify its territorial waters’ demarcation in the area. Lithuania’s top diplomat has branded it a clear provocation demanding a strong response.
According to Russian media, a preliminary suggestion from Russia’s Defense Ministry highlights the need to adjust the Baltic Sea coastline and islands’ territorial water markers, originally set in 1985. The ministry argues that the old coordinates, based on outdated navigational maps, don’t reflect current geographic realities.
There’s ambiguity over whether these modifications would alter the maritime boundaries or simply redefine them.
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson referenced Russia’s commitment to a United Nations pact governing such boundary adjustments, expecting Russia to fulfill these obligations. He was supported by reports from Swedish news agency TT.
Elina Valtonen, Finland’s Foreign Minister, quoted by Finnish broadcaster YLE, warned that any attempt by Russia to contest borders would be a direct violation of a U.N. accord, isolating it globally. Yet, she also considered it could be a standard action by Russia, rather than an instigation.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, through posts on X, noted Russia hadn’t consulted Finland regarding this matter, asserting Finland’s stance remains calm and factual.
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis voiced his alarm on X over Russia’s potential motives in the Baltic Sea, highlighting Lithuanian concerns over Russian military activities in northeastern Ukraine.
Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, during a visit to Lithuania, denounced the move as part of Vladimir Putin’s broader strategy of hybrid warfare, as reported by the German news agency dpa.
Following this development, Lithuania demanded clarifications by convening the Russian diplomat.
Despite these actions, Russia’s Interfax conveyed an anonymous military source’s assurance that there’s no intent to alter the maritime boundaries.
Kremlin’s Dmitry Peskov dismissed the proposal’s political nature, emphasizing the escalating tension in the Baltic necessitates security measures from Russia.
This proposal briefly appeared on a government legislative website before its removal, with the reason for its deletion remaining undisclosed.
The backdrop of this issue is the heightened alert in the Baltic since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which led Finland and Sweden to join NATO, thereby nearly encircling the Baltic Sea with NATO members and heightening the strategic importance of Russia’s access to St. Petersburg and the Kaliningrad enclave through this sea.