Nato’s presence in the Baltic will be “calming and stabilising”, according to Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen (NCP).
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Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen (NCP) pictured addressing the media on 10 January 2025. Image: Heikki Saukkomaa / Lehtikuva
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen (NCP) on Friday revealed Nato was dispatching two vessels to patrol the Baltic Sea.
“Naturally Nato’s broader presence in the Baltic Sea has a calming and stabilising effect. We are very pleased that such a decision has been made,” Valtonen said.
She also said Finland will ramp up its own measures to address Russia’s shadow fleet. Finland plans to increase the monitoring of ships, including insurance inspections, as part of efforts to address Russia’s so-called shadow or dark fleet. Some of these inspections will remain voluntary for the ships involved, however.
At the EU level, Valtonen said Finland is advocating for the bloc’s sanctions list to include more vessels from Russia’s shadow fleet. This is made up of vessels that are typically over 15 years old and are often involved in deceptive maritime practices.
“Finland has long been concerned about the environmental and maritime safety risks posed by Russia’s shadow fleet. It’s clear that this fleet also poses a threat to critical underwater infrastructure,” Valtonen said.
Lower price cap
The FM said Finland was responding decisively to this threat, pointing to next week’s Baltic Sea security meeting of Nato member states as a clear demonstration of this.
Valtonen has also called for a lower oil price cap and tougher measures against Russia’s shadow fleet in this week’s Economist.
“Contrary to Vladimir Putin’s narrative, and some people’s belief, sanctions do work. Even when they do not prevent certain goods and technologies from entering or—in the case of oil and gas—leaving Russia, they certainly make logistics more cumbersome. That increases costs,” she wrote.
“In 2024 Russia’s GDP grew by around 3.5 percent. This relatively strong performance came almost exclusively from sectors directly related to the war. Most forecasters expect barely any growth in 2025 as Russia runs out of labour and other resources,” the FM added, noting that “time was not on Russia’s side”.
On Christmas Day, the Estlink 2 electricity cable between Finland and Estonia was damaged. The incident is suspected to involve the vessel Eagle S, flagged under the Cook Islands, which has been linked to Russia’s shadow fleet. Moscow uses this fleet to evade sanctions on Russian oil exports.
The Eagle S is suspected of damaging the Estlink 2 cable by dragging its anchor along the seabed. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is investigating the case.
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Publish date : 2025-01-10 03:59:00
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