Poland proposes Baltic Sea policing mission after cables cut

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Wednesday that he wanted to create aBalticSeapolicing mission to protect infrastructure after twoBalticSeatelecom cables were cut last week.

Sections of two telecom cables were cut on November 17 and 18 in Swedish territorial waters of theBalticSea.

Swedish and Finnish police have opened investigations and European officials have said they suspect sabotage linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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The Kremlin has rejected the comments as "absurd" and "laughable".

"We share the assessment of the security situation, including concern for critical infrastructure and strategic resources along theBalticSea," Tusk said at a press conference alongside his counterparts from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway and Sweden.

"We need new tools and ambitious means to counter threats. This is why I propose today to create aBalticSeapolicing mission," he said.

Tusk added that he was "really happy that my colleagues found it interesting, and we will continue our work on some details".

Suspicions have been directed at a Chinese ship -- the Yi Peng 3 -- which according to ship tracking sites sailed over the cables around the time they were severed, though there is nothing to indicate that it was involved in the incidents.

The Yi Peng 3 has remained anchored in the Kattegat strait between Sweden and Denmark since November 19.
China's foreign ministry has denied any responsibility in the matter.

Denmark's navy said last week it was shadowing the vessel, which is in international waters. Sweden's coast guard joined it over the weekend.

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that sources said investigators suspected the vessel had dragged its anchor along the seabed for over 100 miles to deliberately cut the cables.

Lithuania on Wednesday announced it would set up a joint investigation team with Sweden and Finland and coordinated by Eurojust -- the EU's judicial cooperation agency -- to probe the damage to the cables.

In a statement, the Lithuanian prosecutor general's office said investigators would try to establish "whether the cables were damaged by deliberate acts for subversive or terrorist purposes".

Tensions have mounted around theBalticSeasince Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

In September 2022, a series of underwater blasts ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines that carried Russian gas to Europe, the cause of which has yet to be determined.

In October 2023, an undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was shut down after it was damaged by the anchor of a Chinese cargo ship.

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